Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements have been undertaken to estimate the conformational energies of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) cast films in the temperature range of 40-130 degrees C. The temperature dependence of the IR spectra in the C=O stretching region has been analyzed to yield the side-chain and backbone conformational energies. The estimated energies are close to those previously obtained by polarized Raman spectroscopic measurements for PAA solutions. Combining the FTIR value of conformational energy with the simplified rotational isomeric state (RIS) model proposed in the Raman analysis provides a persistence length in accordance with earlier SAXS experiments. The data also agree with the Gibbs-DiMarzio predictions, further substantiating the validity of the analysis.