Poll: Uber, Lyft and Taxicab Apps

Morning Consult’s tech poll finds that 14% of Americans have used a smartphone application to order a taxi and 10% of Americans have used Uber (4% have used Lyft). Further, 36% have a favorable view of Uber, while just 13% have an unfavorable view. Reflecting the ongoing debate in many state capitals and cities, Americans are divided on whether ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft need more regulation – 35% say more regulation is needed while 33% say it is not.

This poll was conducted from August 1-3, 2014, among a national sample of 1,094 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. You can see the full results here http://bit.ly/1u42pus.

Only 14% of Americans say they have used a smartphone application to order a taxi— 1 in 3 Americans 18-29 have used a smartphone application to order a taxi. West coast Americans are most likely to order a taxi on their smartphone, as 1 in 5 have done so, compared to Southerners (1 in 10).

10% of Americans say they have used the ride sharing service Uber, while 4% say they have used Lyft— Northeasterners are most likely to have used Uber (14%), while West Coasters are most likely to have used Lyft (8%).

A plurality of Americans (36%) view Uber favorably— Just 13% have an unfavorable view of the company. Higher earners ($100k+ have a more favorable view (50-10) of the ride sharing service than $50k-$100k (38-11) or under $50k (22-10). Among those who have used Uber, 88% have a favorable view and just 9% have an unfavorable view of the company.

Americans are divided on whether more regulation is needed on ride sharing services— 35% believe more regulations are needed while 33% say more regulations on ride sharing services are unnecessary.