Nearly Half of Americans Are Driving Less to Save on Gas as High Prices Continue to Surge
Nearly half of Americans are driving less to save money on gasoline, while an equal share have reduced their travel plans, according to a new national survey that reveals how rising living costs are changing everyday habits across the United States.
The SSRS survey found that 46% of U.S. adults reported cutting back on driving to reduce gasoline expenses. Another 46% said they had traveled less than planned, placing transportation among the many areas where Americans are adjusting their spending.
The changes come amid widespread dissatisfaction with the economy. According to the survey, 64% of Americans described the U.S. economy as bad or very bad in October, an increase of seven percentage points since June and 11 points from a year earlier.
Four in five respondents said they were at least moderately concerned about rising living costs, highlighting the extent to which affordability continues to shape Americans’ perceptions of their financial circumstances.
Meanwhile, an October Rasmussen Reports survey found that 76% of American adults believed gasoline prices were higher than a year earlier, up from 69% in July. Nearly half of respondents, 47%, reported paying more than $4.50 per gallon.
Driving is far from the only expense Americans are trying to control. The SSRS survey found that 64% of respondents had reduced their utility consumption, including limiting their use of heating, air conditioning or household appliances. Another 59% reported sticking to a grocery budget, while 58% said they were spending less on entertainment and other extras.
Taken together, the findings show that Americans are making adjustments across several categories of household spending rather than concentrating their efforts on a single expense.
Transportation, however, presents a particular challenge because driving is often connected to activities that cannot easily be eliminated, including commuting to work, buying groceries and attending appointments.
While the survey did not specify which trips respondents were eliminating, the finding that nearly half were driving less suggests that gasoline costs have become a consideration in how Americans organize their daily routines.
The economic uncertainty is influencing attitudes toward larger financial commitments as well. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 64%, said it was a bad time to buy a car, while 62% believed it was a bad time to buy or sell a home. Another 54% said it was a bad time to start a business.
Those responses point to a broader reluctance to take on significant financial obligations at a time when many households are already looking for ways to reduce their existing expenses.
The survey also found that Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the country’s economic conditions, with negative assessments rising over the past year. The SSRS survey was conducted October 1-4 among 1,033 U.S. adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
