Hybrid Owners Are Predominantly Democrats

Anthony Fontanelle
December 5, 2007

The rising price of petroleum fuel has made consumers turn away from large vehicles, which are known to be gas guzzlers, and started going for small and fuel efficient vehicles. But in the current green revolution, gas-electric hybrid vehicles reigned supreme.

These vehicles are powered by a small internal combustion engine and a battery operated electric motor. During light operation, the rechargeable battery and the electric motor took on the load of powering the vehicle. This results to the reduction of petroleum fuel being burned thus decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases that hybrid vehicles produce.

Recently, Scarborough Research, a consumer and media research company conducted a study to get an idea of who exactly are the ones buying hybrid vehicles. According to the results of the study, hybrid owners are predominantly Democratic, wealthy, educated and active.

According to the study, 42 percent of the households in the United States which have leased or bought a hybrid vehicle have an annual income of $100,000. The report furthermore found out that that is twice more than the national average. Twenty-seven percent of hybrid car owners have a post graduate degree and they are 23 percent more likely to be over 50 years of age.

Politics seems to be a huge factor when it comes to hybrid car buying. Scarborough's study showed that 38 percent of hybrid owners are Democrats compared to the fourteen percent being Republicans. The rest are Independents but 20 percent of them said that they feel closer to being a Democrat.

The study also found out that hybrid owners are active people with 33 percent of them belonging to a health or exercise club compared to only 18 percent for the total population. Biking is one of their exercises as 66 percent of them have reported that they have gone biking last year.

"Hybrid vehicles, a new measurement in Scarborough's syndicated study, are generally acknowledged to be gaining momentum and popularity across the U.S.," said Alisa Joseph, the vice president for advertiser marketing services at Scarborough Research. "Given that hybrids tend to be pricier than the average car, it is no surprise that people with higher incomes are attracted to these vehicles. In marketing hybrids, local dealerships have an opportunity to tap into the high incomes and high-activity level of this consumer group with advertising and promotions."

Hybrid vehicles are steadily becoming the choice for more and more consumers. With that trend expected to continue, automakers will be in place to develop hybrid vehicles which will be cheaper than what they cost today although not as low-priced as an Acura brake booster. This will also open a lot of doors for dealerships.

"As local governments grant tax breaks and provide lifestyle incentives to hybrid owners, such as access to high-occupancy lanes on highways, there are even more reasons for consumers to drive hybrid vehicles - and creative opportunities for dealerships and manufacturers to promote them," added Ms. Joseph.

Source:  Amazines.com