The death of a passenger in a driverless Tesla car has called the safety of these cutting-edge vehicles into question, with more Americans than ever saying driverless cars will make the roads a more dangerous place.
More hybrid vehicles - part traditional gasoline-powered engine, part electric engine - seem to be on the roads these days, but Americans aren't expressing any increased willingness to buy one.
Volkswagen has confessed to equipping millions of diesel cars with software intended to fool emissions tests, especially in the United States, but so far the German auto company is hanging in there popularity-wise.
Gas prices are hitting near-record lows around the country, but Americans suspect the rock-bottom prices won’t last for long.
Ninety percent (90%) of American Adults say they are paying less for a gallon of gas than six months ago, but 69% think it’s at least somewhat likely those prices will go up again over the next six months, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 19% believe they are unlikely to be paying more in six months' time. These findings include 40% who say it’s Very Likely a gallon of gas will cost more and only three percent (3%) who say it’s Not At All Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 800 Adults was conducted on January 10-11, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
While several economic indicators suggest the U.S. economy may finally be recovering, car buying doesn't appear to be one of them.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 26% of American Adults say it’s at least somewhat likely they will buy or lease a car in the next year, including 11% who say it's Very Likely. That compares to 27% who intended to do so last year, with 13% who said it was Very Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 800 Adults was conducted on January 10-11, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Ford, the one Big Three automaker who didn't take a federal bailout, is still better liked than General Motors and Chrysler, and a sizable number of Americans continue to say their buying patterns are dictated by those bailouts.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of American Adults still have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Ford, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twenty-three percent (23%) have an unfavorable opinion. This includes 25% with a Very Favorable opinion of the company, and six percent (6%) with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on March 23-24, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Looks like Americans aren’t in any more of a new car mood than they were last year.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 28% of American Adults think they are at least somewhat likely to buy or lease a car in the next year. Seventy-one percent (71%) say they aren’t likely to be in the market for a car this year. This includes just 11% who are Very Likely to buy or lease a car and 36% who are Not At All Likely to do so. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 4-5, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Chrysler Group finished 2012 with the automaker’s best sales since 2007, but it remains the least liked of Detroit’s Big Three. However, like most issues, opinions of the automakers differ according to partisan affiliation.
Ford, the one automaker who didn't take a federal bailout, remains the most popular. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 73% of American Adults have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Ford, including 30% who view the automaker Very Favorably. Eighteen percent (18%) view Ford unfavorably, but that includes just five percent (5%) with a Very Unfavorable opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 4-5, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Most voters view the auto industry bailouts positively until they learn that the federal government will lose money because of them.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Likely Voters say, looking back, the bailouts of the auto industry were good for the United States. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree and feel they were bad for the country, while 12% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 8-9, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
More Americans than ever have a favorable opinion of Ford, the one Big Three automaker that didn’t take federal bailout money.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of American Adults have at least a somewhat favorable impression of Ford. That’s up slightly from 76% in February, the previous high, but consistent with findings since the 2008-2009 auto bailouts. Thirteen percent (13%) have an unfavorable opinion of Ford. The new findings include 44% with a Very Favorable impression of the Detroit-based manufacturer and just five percent (5%) with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 4-5, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
The bailouts still rankle a lot of car buyers. More Americans than ever are more likely to buy a Ford because it's made by the one Big Three automaker who didn't take a federal government bailout. By the same measure, most Americans are still unlikely to buy a General Motors product.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of American Adults say the fact that Ford did not take bailout money makes them more likely to buy a Ford car. Only eight percent (8%) say that makes them less likely to buy Ford, while 32% say the bailout has no impact on their buying decisions. (To see survey question wording, click here).
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge! This week's entries will be accepted until 11:59pm ET on Wednesday, October 10.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 4-5, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Many Americans view the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler more favorably these days, believing incorrectly that the government made money or broke even on them. But the view grows a lot more negative when the actual price tag is attached.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 20% of American Adults now believe the government made money on the billions in taxpayer dollars given to the two automakers to keep them afloat, while 19% more say the government broke even. However, a plurality (46%) recognizes that the government lost money on the auto bailouts. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on April 23-24, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Americans have grown a little fonder of driving over the years, but a sizable number still says it's strictly for getting around.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 46% of American Adults view driving a car as something they really enjoy rather than just something they have to do to get from one place to another. That’s up from 43% a year ago and 39% the year before.
But 50% still see driving as primarily a way to get from one place to another. This finding is little changed from last year but is down from 56% in 2010. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 13-14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
More Americans than ever have a favorable opinion of Ford, the one Big Three automaker who didn't need a taxpayer bailout to stay in business.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 76% of American Adults have at least a somewhat favorable impression of Ford. That’s up from 73% last September but consistent with findings since the 2008-2009 auto bailouts. Eighteen percent (18%) have an unfavorable opinion of Ford. The new findings include 39% with a Very Favorable impression of the Detroit-based manufacturer and just six percent (6%) with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 13-14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Americans' interest in a new car is barely higher than it has been over the last two years.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 28% of Adults are even somewhat likely to buy or lease a car in the next year, including 14% who are Very Likely to do so.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on February 13-14, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Despite recent concerns about Chevrolet’s electric Volt possibly catching fire in a crash, most Americans aren’t worried about the safety of electric cars but still don’t intend to buy one in the next 10 years.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 38% of American Adults are at least somewhat concerned about the safety of electric cars, with 16% who are Very Concerned. But 56% don’t share that concern, although that includes only 15% who are Not At All Concerned. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on December 5-6, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Federal bailout funding may have prevented General Motors from going through a normal bankruptcy process, but it has come at a significant price in terms of reputation and potential buyers.
Ever since General Motors and Chrysler accepted government bailouts, Ford has been the nation’s most popular auto manufacturer.
While both General Motors and Chrysler have repaid sizable portions of their federal government bailouts, fewer than half of Americans now believe either automaker will fully repay taxpayers for the money they received.
Ford, the Big Three automaker who didn't take a government bailout, remains the most well-liked of the three companies, although opinions of General Motors have improved.
