Poll: Americans Driving Less in Response to Higher Fuel Prices

Colum Wood
by Colum Wood

With the average price of fuel in American about ready to hit the $4.00 a gallon mark commuters are driving less to help make ends meet. According to a new poll by Fox News, 62 percent of respondents say they have reduced the amount of driving they have done.

The increased cost at the pump is also sparking many Americans to consider smaller cars, with 47 percent of respondents saying they’d look at buying a more fuel efficient model for their next purchase. This trend is supported by April’s new car sales figures released yesterday, which showed a clear trend towards smaller cars, with vehicles like the Chevrolet Cruze up 50%.

As one would expect, the rising price of a gallon is affecting lower income families more, with 73 percent of those earning below $50,000 say they are driving less, compared to 57 percent of those over the $50,000 mark.

And to show just how much of an effect rising gas prices can have on the average family, 50 percent of those polled from the lower income bracket said they had to give up household necessities to pay for gasoline, compared to 25 percent in the higher income group.

Of course, this poll is not without a political message, with 61 percent of those asked saying they are in support of domestic drilling for oil.

[Source: FoxNews]

Colum Wood
Colum Wood

With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.

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  • DeBunk DeBunk on May 04, 2011

    For some odd reason, the idiots in Washington play right into the eco-terrorists hands. We still have tons of oil within the US and we still have not started drilling. We have states that tax gasoline so much that it is already over $4.50 as gallon in those states. Who are our representatives and why are they NOT representing the majority and only a slim minority of those who do not want us to drill on our own soil?

  • Buddy Buddy on May 04, 2011

    DeBunk: Ever think that maybe they're smart and are just waiting to use everyone else's oil before we tap our own?

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