WASHINGTON – Half the people in the country say record-high gas prices are starting to cause them problems. Who’s to blame? Americans point a finger at the oil companies, foreign nations that control the oil supply, and politicians.

More than half say they’re cutting back on driving, and many plan to stay closer to home on their summer vacations.

An Associated Press-AOL poll found 51% of those surveyed say that if gas prices remain high for the next six months, it will cause a financial hardship for them. Thirty percent of those polled classified the hit as “serious,” according to the survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the AP and AOL News.

“You have to decide – gas, groceries, medicine,” Marcia Cain of Indianapolis, who is semi-retired, said. “I’m on limited income. I don’t go out as much – eating out, going to listen to jazz. It uses gas you don’t want to use.”

Ms. Cain paid $2.15 per gallon this week after paying $2.35 per gallon the week before. “It aggravates me, but there’s not much I can do about it,” she said.

High global oil prices have pushed the cost of regular gasoline for American motorists to around $2.21 per gallon, with prices ranging from an average of $2.64 in California to about $2 in Oklahoma, according to the auto group AAA. Prices are expected to remain above $2 nationally through the summer.

Americans spread the blame around, with 29% blaming the oil companies, 24% blaming foreign governments that dominate oil reserves, and 23% saying politicians. Eight percent blame the high prices on “environmentalists who want to limit oil exploration,” while 6% blame “people who drive gas-guzzling vehicles.”

Anxiety about gasoline prices comes as President Bush is pressing Congress to approve energy legislation that includes tax breaks and subsidies, mostly for energy companies, and would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil development. The House passed its version of the bill yesterday.

The president gets low marks from the public for his handling of the nation’s energy problems, with 62% saying they disapprove. When he first took office, people were more inclined to say he would handle energy problems effectively.

Many people, 41%, say gas prices are making them seriously consider purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Sales of big trucks and SUVS are off at General Motors. And purchases of Ford’s largest SUVs – the Excursion, Expedition, and Explorer – all fell by more than 24% in the first three months of the year.

Auto-makers that produce hybrid cars that run on a combination of electricity and gas are reporting strong interest from consumers.

Seth Miller, who lives in Sumter, S.C., and serves in the Air Force, spent almost $80 at $2.10 a gallon the last time he filled up his Chevy Silverado truck. He has considered getting something that would be less of a gas-guzzler.

“If it were feasible for me to buy another vehicle and keep my truck, I would,” Mr. Miller said.

The survey found gas prices have prompted 58% to reduce their driving, 57% to cut back on other expenses, and 41% to change vacation plans to stay closer to home.