Alberta Oil Sands Revisited

Hi everyone, so I know this is really last minute but I'm gonna go ahead and pitch my question. Please comment on it - your feedback is appreciated!

Question: Will people who originally come from areas that are geographically closer to the Athabasca oil sands be more likely to support oil extraction from said oil sands?

Hypothesis: If relative environmental outlook is related to the geographical distance one's hometown is located from the Athabasca oil sands, then the geographically closer one's home is to the Athabasca oil sands, the more likely they are to express positive environmental outlooks in relation to the oil extraction process.

Assuming that local corporations and businesses receive the majority of their income through the Athabasca oil sands, it is likely that the majority of people living close to the oil sands will look on the project fondly. Thus, it is likely that they would express positive opinons on the extraction of oil from the Athabasca oil sands.

Potential Questions to ask people:

1)Are you a Canadian citizen, if so which province are you from?

(Offer several provinces as answer; place 'other' for people born outside of Canada)

What are your thoughts on the Alberta oil sands project and its relation to the environment?

a) Very destructive b) Destructive c) Somewhat Destructive d)Not very destructive e) Not destructive (at all)

2) How reliant do you feel Canadians currently are on the Alberta Oil Sands

a) Very reliant b) Reliant c) Somewhat reliant d) Not very reliant e) Not reliant

I predict that we would find that people located closer to the tar sands (mostly people from Alberta) would express positive views on it, with the exception of Aboriginal Communities located near the Athabasca Oil Sands that are negatively impacted by the pollution associated with bitumen extraction. Arguably, this could be a confounding variable - could anyone suggest a way around this perhaps?