When it comes to priorities, Americans prefer the environment to the economy.

A Gallup poll, conducted March 6-9, revealed that a slim majority of Americans would rather have the goals of the country focus on protecting the environment, “even at the risk of curbing economic growth.”

The poll indicated that 49 percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement “the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth,” while 42 percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement that “economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent.”

The remaining 9 percent were without an opinion or thought the two factors should have equal priority.

Colleen Rogers, chairwoman of the Council on Sustainability at Iowa State University, said the concept of sustainability includes economic, environmental and social aspects.

“So far, our society has placed more emphasis on economic growth at the expense of the environment and also some of our social responsibilities,” Rogers said.

She said American perception reads that “green products” or “green living” is expensive, which affects peoples’ ideas about where the environment falls on their list of priorities.

Ryan Jaehrling, senior in political science and president of the Student Environmental Council, said he can’t see why environmental growth can’t be classified under economic development.

“Although the initial cost [of environmental actions] is expensive, once we pursue it on a larger scale, they become more cost-effective,” Jaehrling said.

Rogers said she thinks the fact that a majority of Americans say protecting the environment should take priority is a positive thing she credits their feelings to an increase in awareness of global climate change, sustainability and green living.

The poll also revealed that 95 percent of Americans believe the energy situation in the United States is either “very serious” or “fairly serious,” and that 61 percent of Americans favor emphasizing consumer conservation of energy supplies, as opposed to the 29 percent who favor trying to produce more oil, gas, or coal.