Siena College's survey of New York voters has found more opposition than support for allowing hydraulic fracturing in the Empire State.

With 44 percent of respondents against fracking and 40 percent in favor of the oil and gas extraction method, the poll still shows a narrow margin between the two groups.

"This continues to be an issue where neither supporters nor opponents has succeeded in getting a majority of voters to their position," Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said in a statement. "And it continues to be an issue that is a political land mine for the governor as he has to make a decision that will anger as many voters as it pleases."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has said the state will soon decide whether to allow companies to carry out fracturing -- the process of pumping water, sand and chemicals into buried shale rock to release trapped oil and gas. Environmental groups have decried the practice, saying it has the potential to pollute the air and contaminate groundwater. New York officials have held off on a decision for more than four years as they watched how fracturing played out in neighboring states, including gas-rich Pennsylvania.

Previous Siena polls have shown that New Yorkers are largely split on the matter. In October and December 2012, the last two installments of the survey, 36 percent of participants opposed fracturing, while 42 percent were in favor of allowing the technique (EnergyWire, Dec. 6, 2012).

This month's results also posted a drop in the number of people who are undecided about fracturing. Sixteen percent of respondents said they did not have an opinion or did not have enough information to form an opinion on the issue, down from 22 percent in December. In May 2012, the first month of the Siena poll, 27 percent said they were unsure.

An increase in knowledge about fracturing could be spurring a change in public opinion on the issue, Greenberg said, although he added that the split between opponents and supporters is still minuscule.

"To me, the issue really is this remains a nearly 50-50 issue. ... No matter what [Cuomo] decides, nearly half the voters in the state are going to be unhappy with his decision," Greenberg said.

The Siena poll is based on telephone calls made Jan. 10-15 to 676 New York voters. It has a 3.8-point margin of error.