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The price of gas has been the subject of many surveys this year, but it is somewhat surprising to see the results of these gas surveys and how the high gasoline prices has affected the drivers.
With gas prices hitting over the $3.00 mark, I am suprised at the number of people who answered they would not be interested in buying a hybrid car at all.
In the surveys I saw there were between 20,000 to 34,000 participants. They were from different parts of the US, but most answered the same way.
Geographical boundries seem to have little or no effect on their answers. Here are some of the questions and answers I have found interesting among some of the surveys I have read.
1.Do you plan to purchase a more fuel efficient vehicle due to high gas prices?
In this survey of about 27,000 voters the answers were:
31% Yes
26% I am considering it
38% No
4% Not sure
2.If the price of gasoline doubles, would you be inclined to purchase a more fuel efficient vehicle, or trade in for one?
In survey # 2 there were about 20,000 voters the answers were:
15% Already have
51% Yes
20% No
12% Not sure
3.Gas prices have dropped significantly in the last few months. Have your driving habits changed with the lower prices?
In survey # 3 there were about 25,000 voters the answers were:
88% No, still conserving gas or driving less
5% Yes no longer conserving gas or driving less
6% Don't know
4.Do you think the average gas prices will drop below $2.00 a gallon in the next 12 months?
The fourth poll I checked has about 34,000 voters the answers were:
43% Yes
55% No
0% N/A
5.What type of fuel(s) do you get for your primary vehicle?
In poll number 5 there were about 20,000 voters the answers were:
81% Regular gasoline
4% Mid grade gasoline
6% Premium gasoline
1% Ethanol (E85)
4% Diesel
0% Other (bio diesel, natural gas or hydrogen)
1% Different grades depending on weather,performance or prices
0% Different fuels depending on weather,performance or prices
6.What would most likely give you a reason to seriously consider a hybrid car?
In poll number 6 there were about 22,000 voters the answers were:
42% Similar price and features
to a gas powered car
29% Costly gas prices
7% Tax breaks
3% Cleaner emissions
16% I wouldn't buy a hybrid
I was a little suprised by the 16% who would not consider buying a hybrid for any reason in the last survey. Perhaps we shall see another survey soon asking why.
These surveys tell me lots of things we already know, but also how much we need to change our options. An overwhelming majority of drivers in the US use gasoline. We know that, but since there are many other fuel options out there, we should start moving towards using them, rather than be almost totally dependent on a fuel we have to depend on foreign sources for.
Only about 35 % of the gasoline we use is from the US, that means 65% is from other countries. We have little or no power over the prices of the gasoline we use. It is the time for us to look to other sources of fuel for our vehicles. We already know it is only a matter of time before our oil sources are depleted. We have future generations to think about as well as ourselves.
We have many options to use instead of gasoline. Many of the major car manufacturers offer many types of hybrids, and the government offers a tax credit if you purchase one. We will have to make the jump sooner or later, why not sooner.
If we could get the gasoline monkey off our backs, we could start heading towards a cleaner and more fuel efficient future. The surveys used were found on gasbuddy.com