Love Affair with Cars in need of Couples Therapy?


This comes from a regular reader:

The Pew Research Center has released a report that finds that fewer Americans now enjoy driving than did in 1991. 69 percent now enjoy driving, down from 79 percent in 1991. You can read the executive summary or the entire report at Pew’s website:

http://pewresearch.org/social/pack.php?PackID=16

A couple of the more interesting findings:

  • 28% of Americans feel that driving is a “chore”, opposed to 69% who “like to drive”
  • 31% of Americans think their car has a personality (!)
  • Congestion ranks as the most-mentioned reason that people don’t like to drive

What this study didn’t get into was any discussion of people’s propensity to use alternatives, whether or not they actually existed in their community. Basically, we have here a definition of the problem as certain people see it, with no discussion of solutions. Still, it’s useful to know that the conventional wisdom that people love to drive is waning somewhat.


One response to “Love Affair with Cars in need of Couples Therapy?”

  1. 31% of Americans think their car has a personality (!)

    Don’t laugh. It’s true. And I’m not one to easily give up on science, but all of my cars have developed personalities over the years. (Or, more specifically, personality disorders.)
    My previous car thought it was particularly hysterical to die when accelerating only on freeway on-ramps, and never with a mechanic present, and our current car thinks that heading southbound on 99E from Milwaukie/Oak Grove is a fine way to get to NE Portland. (Navteq now acknowledges this little personality disorder and claims to have fixed it.)

    Of course, as a wise man once said, “Don’t anthropomorphise things. They hate that.”

    – Bob R.

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