WASHINGTON — High gasoline prices have dramatically changed Americans' views on energy and the environment with more people now viewing oil drilling and new power plants as a greater priority than energy conservation than five months ago, according to a new survey.

The poll released by the Pew Research Center shows nearly half of those surveyed — or 47 percent — now rate energy exploration, drilling and building new power plants as the top priority, compared with 35 percent who believed that five months ago.

The Pew poll, conducted in late June, showed the number of people who consider energy conservation as more important declined by 10 percentage points since February from a clear majority to 45 percent.

The number of people who said they considered increasing energy supplies more important than protecting the environment increased from 54 percent in February to 60 percent and the number of people who favor oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge also increased.

"This shows the real impact of higher gas prices on the public," said Carroll Doherty, associate director for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which commissioned the telephone survey of 2,004 adults from June 18 to June 29.

The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, slightly larger for subgroups.

Since February, gasoline prices have soared from just over $3 to a national average of nearly $4.10 a gallon, according to the Energy Department.

The shift toward embracing more energy production was seen across different age and political groups, reflecting a change in attitudes among Democrats, independents, women, and young people — all groups that in the past have generally championed conservation over energy development.

The survey comes as Congress is in the midst of a bitter debate over how to respond to energy problems and as the two major presidential candidates also are sharply divided on energy priorities.

GOP candidate John McCain has called for more nuclear power plants and ending a blanket moratorium on drilling in 85 percent of the country's coastal waters.

His rival, Democrat Barack Obama, has emphasized incentives for conservation and development of alternative energy sources and opposes expanded offshore drilling.

Likewise, Democrats have been pushing for more conservation and energy alternatives in Congress and argued the country cannot drill its way out of its energy problems.

Congressional Republicans argue the answer is more domestic energy production, including on federal lands and waters off limits because of environmental concerns.

The Pew poll, however, showed Republicans and Democrats moving closer together on the production vs. conservation dispute.

The number of Democrats who said they saw increased production as the top priority jumped by 16 percentage points since February to 46 percent. Republicans holding that view declined from about half to 43 percent.

With the exception of the Arctic refuge, the poll did not address any specific energy proposals, such as whether to lift drilling moratoria in some ocean waters, the pros and cons of nuclear energy, or the environmental impacts of coal burning power plants on global warming.

The poll showed people remain sharply divided over oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is now off limits.

But in the June survey the number of people favoring drilling there increased to 50 percent, compared with 42 percent last February. Those who opposed drilling fell from 50 percent to 43 percent.