April 24th, 2022, YouGov
YouGov Global Profiles allows us to track the driving habits of consumers in a number of markets. Looking at a selection of 16 markets shows a high level of variety from country to country and region to region.
In more population-dense markets – where cars may be seen as more of a luxury than a necessity – such as Hong Kong (3%) Singapore (8%) China (10%), and India (11%), the public are substantially less likely to drive every day.
In pole position, Polish consumers (38%) are the most likely to drive every day, with Malaysian (32%) and French drivers (32%) close behind. People are also more likely to drive every day in the UAE (28%), Mexico (27%), and Argentina (25%).
Looking at Hong Kong, where consumers are least likely to drive every day , there’s evidence to suggest that the public simply aren’t as bothered about cars in a general sense.
They’re no more likely than the global average across all markets in our database to say “we should drive less to save the environment (52% global; 55% HK), but they are substantially less bothered about whether their car has a powerful engine (53% vs. 31%), whether the car works well for the whole family (73% vs. 57%), or shopping around for the best gas prices (52% vs. 45%).
Consumers in Hong Kong are also far less likely to think public transport is gross (32% vs. 16%) relative to the global average. Whether motivated by legal/financial incentives or a wider availability of other ways of getting around, it’s clear that when consumers don’t drive every day, they are less bothered about the form and function of their vehicles.
Methodology
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.
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