The price of crude oil has continued its downward trend this week as oil prices fell to $96.87 a barrel late in the afternoon (Singapore time) in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

While gas prices also continue to hover around $3.955 a gallon on average across the United States, energy analysts are convinced that the price of gas will begin to drop beyond the mere half-cent from last week.

According to Matt Smith at Summit Energy, "We should see the change at the pump soon. We should see prices down at $3.50 a gallon on average".

Energy analysts claimed that gas won’t be going above $4 a gallon this summer, citing falling oil prices and lower consumer demand in their projected drop in gas prices.

This may be welcomed news for the seven in ten Americans who reported that the price of gas is causing them and their families’ financial hardships, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

However, it seems that many Americans do not share the energy analysts’ optimism.

The same poll also found that over half of the respondents, at 54%, believed that high prices were here to stay.

While the worst may soon be over, the end of high gas prices does not seem to be in sight for most families.