Gallup poll on EVs

I would be interested in statistics regarding plans to buy an EV, among people who know someone (friend or family) who owns an EV.
My immediate family (Brother, Father, Mother) all own EVs as of a month ago. I don’t believe all would have without seeing my experience with them firsthand.

 

I am ambivalent on information like this.

It almost politicizes product acquisition. Like: I am making a statement by buying this or supporting this.

Exactly the opposite of many peoples thinking who acquire products because of need, utility, return on investment and
fit for lifestyle.

I think depending on one's own independent thinking it could actually give a person a reason not to buy a product. The exact opposite of having someone make a rational decision based on fact.

For many of us having a poll on the return of investment for purchase of an EV - would the money spent on the EV result in savings or increase the buyers quality of life is much more practical information.

Not being a political animal maybe I am out of the loop as far as social pressure/influence on what others might think about the political implications or political dynamics of a product.

If accurate it is interesting even if it does stereotype and force a multiracial, multi ethnic, diverse nation into 3 little boxes.

What kind of car do you need to buy if you could care less about the party an individual belongs to - only if they are the best person for the office and would be the best choice for the country?

 

Happily, automobiles are only one part of the climate puzzle

 

There could be a category of motivation being left out there. Yes, it may be that some people are motivated by "making a statement" aimed at what other people may think of them. And some people may be motivated only by a financial return on investment or increase in their personal quality of life.

Neither of those two categories seems to quite cover another one that some people include in their decision making: whether their choice will help or worsen some actual practical problem or threat they are aware of.

If it's the kind of threat or problem that mostly affects the decision maker personally and immediately, then that just folds into the "personal quality of life" angle (and even the financial return angle, if it's a problem or threat that faces them with costs).

But if it's the kind of thing that threatens a community more than the individual directly, or the individual's descendants more than immediate quality of life, then that may just be a third kind of thing to think about. Certain economists might say "oh, that's just financial return on investment if you properly account for externalities", and certain people might say "well, providing for my descendants' well-being is part of what goes into my quality of life." For others, it might be simpler to just say well, I try to take three things into account, the financial returns to me, the effect on my personal quality of life, and the wider consequences of my choices to others.

 

Based on the number of seniors I know (including my own spouse) who still use a traditional flip phone instead of a smartphone, plus those who have passed since 2000 without ever having shifted up to a smartphone, that poll response doesn't appear to me to have missed reality.

 

It was a public opinion poll looking at interest into EV ownership and belief on EVs help with global warming. The goal is to get a gauge of the public's view on the topic. It is not a marketing survey looking into what potential buyers are considering in the purchase, and those buyers won't be looking this up to help with the decision.

It is the currently held view on the topic in question. Not what will influence an individual in the future.

It has break downs beyond three boxes. The OP and article also cover age, region, and income. There is more in the PDF linked in the article. The education was more nuanced, and it includes sex and ideology(conservative, moderate, liberal).

Evidence that these polls are about a snapshot of the present.

 

fuzzy1, I use a flip phone. At a family reunion last year I had a nephew and niece ask me about it and where I got it. They were looking to -disconnect from their smartphones and were interested in getting a flip phone. Apparently this is a thing with a small but growing segment of the younger population.

Are flip phones making a comeback? The old tech piques Gen Z's interest. (usatoday.com)

The Flip Phone: The Era of Simplicity Is Back - Bestviewsreviews

My phone cost $25 (one time payment) from our carrier for a brand new unit, which is highway robbery, on ebay you can get used ones for $10. The plan cost $15 a month with unlimited calls and unlimited texts- data= no need.

 

"Resist buying an old flip phone – say, on eBay – as this vintage tech may not work now that most major carriers have shut down 3G service last year."
Still have my old flip phone. Battery still appears to hold a charge. It predates 3G. T-Mobile might support it, but AT&T and Verizon stopped supporting 2G last year.

 

The reason I remembered the cost of my flip phone was my Carrier uses AT&T network and my old reliable flip phone stopped working and I had to move to a 4g/5g compatible flip phone.

 

a couple years ago, att said they were going to replace my motorola flip phone for free, because it would no longer work on their new network.
i had been looking for an excuse to upgrade to a smart phone, and they provided it.
i dropped their ten dollar a month free talk and text (texting on a flip phone is like using a rotary phone )
i got a deal from comcast, $17.50/month 2 year contract. free i phone, free talk and text, 1 gb internet and wifi enabled most everywhere i go plus hot spots.

 

It is possible to restrict one's smartphone activities to the approximate level of a flip phone.

On the other hand, I'm very understanding when people want stronger guardrails on their behavioral boundaries.

 

This is my favorite flip phone:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicator_%28Star_Trek%29#/media/File:20090704-1971_StarTrekTOSCommunicatorReplica.jpg

 

Well, I guess I'm a real freak according to that survey.

• Conservative/libertarian who thinks most "Republican" representatives and senators are actually slightly toned down Democrats.
• 70th birthday coming up in a couple weeks.
• Live in the south.
• Income under $100k.
• Own one EV and one Prius.

By that chart, I should be driving a 1979 Ford F-250.

I don't choose my cars to make a statement or to address any real or imagined concerns other than that it efficiently, safely, and comfortably get me where I need to go. Others can drive whatever they want. After all, that's what I'm doing.

 

I felt the same way as you- being pigeon holed - but not a pigeon.

 

Day ain't over yet

 

Make sure any flip phone one buys, works on VoLTE. And note that many of the original "4G" phones were 4G only for data, still 3G for voice. I had to upgrade spouse's flip phone not all that long ago because of the 3G shutdown. My own smart phone needed replacement a year earlier because its service was on a different network that was advertising an earlier 3G shutdown.

Because of this system update / migration, true vintage flip phones won't work most places. Though some smaller carriers in certain pockets are keeping 3G alive, this is why my dad never needed to upgrade. Though over the winter I noticed that that phone company had numerous notices out telling customers that their 3G would need system settings changed in order to retain reliability at home (this was snagging dad too, and was beyond his comprehension), and that they would need new VoLTE phones for roaming outside that company's service area.

I don't remember the phone's price, but she is paying about $72/year for minimal service. But since she rarely uses it, it has thousands of rollover minutes. Both my phone and now the house phone (formerly landline, our primary number since our first apartment together) are smart phones with unlimited talk and text, and limited data. And pre-paid a whole year at a time. Unlike our 'mobile' numbers, our 'landline' can now travel internationally with us.

 

Wasn't the original Motorola StarTAC inspired by the Star Trek Communicator?

 

There's a certain irony in reading this on a Prius forum of all things.

Like Bob says, we Prius owners were the pigeonholed tree-hugger woke hippies once upon a time.