Updated: Jan. 18, 2023
The automotive industry is steering through the challenge of replenishing supply while also tailoring future transportation to consumer desires and climate change demands. And mobility providers — from tech companies to vehicle charging startups — are becoming increasingly relevant stakeholders amid advances toward automation and electrification. Automotive and mobility brand leaders must stay informed on consumers’ changing attitudes and behaviors around vehicle ownership, usage and purchase intent, as well as their sentiments about the future of electric and autonomous vehicles.
Morning Consult is tracking consumer behavior and sentiment around automotive industry trends through a monthly survey of U.S. adults. We’ll be updating this page with new and essential data and analysis every month. Sign up for alerts below.
The methodology for the monthly tracker is included at the bottom of this page.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Interest in electric vehicles ticked up, but so did cost concerns. The share of those interested in purchasing an EV in the next five years increased from 45% in December to 48% in January. On the other hand, among those not interested in buying an EV, price and cost of ownership both increased as major reasons why, rising from 60% to 67% and from 50% to 56%, respectively.
Gen Zers’ usage of public transport crept up throughout 2022. The share of young adults who reported taking the bus at least once in the previous month rose 15 percentage points, from 20% in January 2022 to 35% this January. Subway and local/commuter train usage each saw similar increases among Gen Zers year over year (17% to 24% and 15% to 25%, respectively).
The share of those who live in multicar households dropped in the last year. Last January, 57% of U.S. adults said their household had multiple cars, but that has fallen to 44% this January, likely the result of high interest rates and persistent inflation.
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CONSUMER TRENDS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Share of respondents who said they had trouble finding the following items in the past month:
Respondents were asked how they paid for their primary vehicle
Share of respondents who plan to purchase a vehicle in the next three years who said they are “very interested” in purchasing a vehicle entirely online
Share of respondents who plan to purchase a vehicle in the next three years who said the following would be a major factor in their purchase:
Shares of commuters who used a household vehicle to commute to work in the last month
Shares who said they used a household vehicle for a road trip in the past month
TRENDS IN AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRIFICATION
Shares of respondents who said they are “very interested” in purchasing an electric vehicle in the next five years
Share of consumers not interested in EVs who said each of the following was a major reason why they wouldn’t purchase one:
VEHICLE SERVICING TRENDS
Consumers who had their vehicle serviced in the past month were asked how reality compared with their expectations of the price to service their vehicle
Consumers who had their vehicle serviced in the past month were asked how reality compared with their expectations of the time it took to service their vehicle
TRENDS IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Shares of respondents who said they are “very interested” in purchasing an autonomous vehicle in the next 10 years
Shares of respondents who said they trust autonomous vehicles “a lot”
Respondents were asked how safe they think autonomous vehicles are compared with traditional vehicles
TRENDS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Respondents were asked how their use of public transportation had changed in the last month
Shares of respondents who used the following forms of public transportation in the past month:
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Methodology
The Morning Consult Automotive and Mobility Monthly Trend Tracker relies on Morning Consult’s proprietary survey research capabilities. The interviews are conducted online, and the data are weighted to approximate a representative sample of U.S. adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race and region. Results from the full survey have a monthly sample size of 2,200 U.S. adults and an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com
Email press@morningconsult.com to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.