Motorists have been feeling the pain at the pump, and it is impacting their lifestyles and shaping future car buying habits, according to the latest Auto Pulse survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. And 99 percent have strong feelings about who is to blame. Respondents mostly pointed fingers at the federal government.

With fuel prices and the upcoming presidential election dominating headlines, we thought it would be interesting to see how these issues intersect. To check America’s pulse, we conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey from June 5-8, 2008 of adults aged 18 years or older who drive and whose household owns at least one vehicle. For the full story, read "Gas prices survey shows pain at the pump hurts at home." Here, we will focus on who motorists blame for the elevated gas prices and what recommendations they have for turning around this trend.

Blame game
During a period of record profits for many oil companies, it is no surprise these industrial giants were one of the leading targets, blamed by three-quarters (75 percent) of consumers. But more pointed a finger at lawmakers in Washington, singling out the failure of government to implement an effective national energy policy.

Who do you blame for higher gas prices?

Notably, natural disasters (26 percent) and gas stations (21 percent) ranked much lower.

How to fix it
While survey respondents were quick to assign blame, they were equally responsive in providing solutions. In fact, there was strong consensus on many possible actions that could be taken by the federal government to reduce fuel costs.

Motorists agreed that the government should:

Where do you stand on both blame and possible solutions? Post your comments below.

—Jeff Bartlett

Join the discussion in the Cars forums to share how gas prices have impacted your lifestyle and what adjustments you are making to compensate.

Learn how to save at the pump by visiting Consumer Reports’ guide to driving green. Check the latest national average gasoline prices.