November 23, 2005
Report & Analysis · Data · Other Poll Releases
Although Georgians were alarmed by the sharp rise in gas prices following Hurricane Katrina and are pessimistic about the future of prices at the pump, most of the state’s residents have not changed their lifestyles as a result of the crisis. According to the most recent Peach State Poll, Georgians are neither carpooling to work or school more often nor turning to public transportation where it is available. Only one in five Georgians (20 percent) say that the higher fuel costs have forced them to cut back on many other household expenses; one in three Georgians (33 percent) say that they have not cut back on anything.
“Based on poll data, it appears that the public has responded to the price increase by making only modest changes in commuting patterns,” reports poll director Rich Clark. “While these changes may be helpful in reducing fuel consumption for the time being, they are not likely to lead to a long-term public conservation effort.” Clark cites as evidence the fact that most people are not considering carpooling or buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle (done by only 23 percent and 16 percent, respectively), preferring instead to reduce the amount of driving they do and to shop nearer their homes (70 percent and 51 percent, respectively).
The Peach State Poll is a quarterly survey of public opinion conducted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Other Peach State Poll results:
• Seventy percent of the public say that their employer has not done anything to encourage fuel conservation following Hurricane Katrina. Of those whose employer has taken conservation measures, the most common has been to restrict travel by employees.
• Among Georgians with access to public transportation (30 percent), 63 percent say they never use it. The primary reason given for not using public transportation is that the time or frequency is not convenient (22 percent of those with access to public transportation). High gas prices have not significantly affected this behavior.
• While 47 percent of the Peach State Poll respondents heat their homes with natural gas, only 37 percent of them have locked in a price for the winter.
These data were taken from a Peach State Poll survey conducted between October 25 and November 3, 2005. The poll included 803 telephone interviews of randomly selected adults in Georgia. For a sample of this size, the margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level is +/-3.5 percent.
