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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, May 28, 2006
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More Than Four in 10 Car Owners
Are Cutting Back Due to High Gas Prices
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire), May 28, 2006 - As the summer driving season kicks off with the Memorial Day weekend exodus, 44 percent of car owners say they have cut back on products or services in order to compensate for the rising costs of gasoline.
Not surprisingly, those with lower incomes are more likely than those with higher incomes to say they are cutting back, but even 37 percent of those car owners who earn $75,000 or more say they have cut back on products or spending. Specifically, three in 10 of these car owners say they are dining out less (29%) and reducing their driving (29%) while about one quarter (24%) say they are cutting back on groceries in order to pay for gasoline.
These are some of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,085 U.S. adults ages 18 and older surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between May 9 and 16, 2006.
American auto companies get some of the blame for people spending more on gas. Three-quarters (74%) of adults say that American car companies are not moving as quickly as they should to build automobiles that consume less gasoline. Only nine percent say the auto companies are moving as quickly as they should. Young adults are more likely thank their older counterparts to have faith in the car companies - 15 percent of Echo Boomers (ages 18 - 29 years) say the companies are moving as quickly as they should as compared to seven percent of Baby Boomers (ages 42 - 60 years).
Two in five (39%) adults think that the profits of the oil and natural gas industry have the greatest influence on rising gas prices. Just over one- quarter (27%) say the greatest influence is from world crude oil prices; smaller numbers say it is due to instability in oil producing areas (7%) and federal and state taxes (6%). Lingering refinery outages from last year's hurricanes is cited by five percent as the greatest influence on rising prices, while upcoming changes in fuel requirements (2%) and other refining costs (2%) were also cited as having the greatest influence. Regionally, those in the West are more likely to say industry profits are the greatest influence (47%) while those in the South are more likely to be split between profits (35%) and world crude prices (31%).
When asked who can best stop these rising gas prices, one-third (34%) of adults think the oil and gas industry can do so while 29 percent believe the federal government has that ability. One in five (22%) think consumers can best stop rising gas prices while very small numbers say state and local governments (3%) or the automotive industry (3%) can stop the rise of gas prices.
Generationally, two in five (40%) Gen Xers (ages 30 - 41 years) think the oil and gas industry can stop the rising prices, followed by 27 percent who think the federal government can do so. Only 16 percent of Gen Xers say consumers have the control. Baby Boomers are more split. About one-third say the federal government (32%) can stop the rise in gasoline prices followed by the oil and gas industry (31%) and consumers (25%).
Looking ahead, three-quarters of adults think that gas prices will be higher on Labor Day than they are today. Almost one-third (31%) say that the prices will be much higher. Few (7%) say prices will be lower on Labor Day, while 17 percent say gas prices will be the same.
A large majority (81%) of adults also think that heating prices this winter will be higher when compared to those costs last winter. Over one-third (35%) say that heating costs will be much higher this winter; only three percent think costs will be lower and 15 percent say heating prices will be the same as last winter.
St. Louis Has Most Courteous Drivers Says Survey
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 21, 2006 - The first annual In The Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage, has found that the most courteous city is Minneapolis, followed closely by Nashville, Tenn., St. Louis, Seattle and Atlanta.
The survey also found that the least courteous city in the country is Miami, followed by Phoenix and New York. The other two cities in the bottom five were Los Angeles and Boston.
The Driver's Seat 2006 AutoVantage Road Rage Survey was conducted to determine the driving habits and attitudes of commuters across the U.S. and to learn more about consumer views on the topic of Road Rage.
"Road rage has unfortunately too often become a way of life, both on and off the track," said NASCAR driving legend and AutoVantage spokesman Bobby Hamilton. "More and more, in cities across America, people are acting out their frustrations with dangerous results. It's bad for professional and everyday drivers alike.
"This new study focuses on important attitudes and habits of drivers on the open road nationwide," said Brad Eggleston, vice president of AutoVantage. "This groundbreaking research is an important tool to help educate and influence safer driving habits throughout the United States."
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