Millennials say no to road trips, even with a celeb
Ahead of the launch of its CX-30 compact SUV, Mazda North America undertook a study of young people to understand their driving habits.
A road trip is rite of passage for the past few generations of Americans. Photo: Martyn E. Jones
As Millennials become the largest generation, and the generation whose life choices continue to break drastically away from previous generations, new evidence is emerging that their views on road trips also diverge.
A recent study of 1004 Millennials (aged 23-38) conducted on behalf of Mazda shows new trends have emerged that can help us better understand what is driving Millennials to take a road trip — and what may be holding them back from their next adventure.
Here are some key findings:
If given free time, 39 per cent of Millennials surveyed would most like to go on a road trip. Ninety-two per cent of all Millennials surveyed agreed that if they had to pick, they would rather go on a road trip with a loved one than a celebrity musician, athlete, actor or social media star.
Maybe if the road trip was to Parihoa farm (above) in the Mazda CX-30, Millennials would go. Photo: Liz Dobson
However, nearly 50 percent of millennials would give their current car a failing or barely passing grade for its road trip worthiness. Here are some reported barriers:
Lack of Confidence. Seventy-two percent of Millennials say there is at least one reason that has held them back from taking a road trip. Frequently cited reasons were lack of confidence in their own driving abilities (28 per cent are not comfortable driving in inclement weather and 19 per cent don’t trust their skills at the wheel on unfamiliar terrains), while another 15 per cent feel their vehicle is not high-performance enough to handle the adventure.
Storage Issues. More than 76 per cent of Millennial drivers have experienced difficulties trying to fit what they want to bring along into their car. Millennials wish they had enough room for camping or sporting equipment (63 per cent), luggage (46 per cent), and even space to take their pets on road trips (22 per cent). In fact, 1 in 10 Millennials admit they have missed out on a road trip because they didn’t have enough space for all their gear.
Physical and Mental Side Effects. 83 per cent of Millennials have experienced a physical or mental side effect from driving for long periods of time. More than two in five put more comfortable interior on their wish-list of features that would make driving more enjoyable.
“The results of this study show that Millennials truly want to disconnect and that they love to hit the road to achieve this – but it also highlights how many are not taking a trip of their dreams because of an inadequate vehicle,” said Dino Bernacchi, chief marketing officer for Mazda North American Operations.
Article courtesy of Mazda North America
