A Tipping Point for Gas
Remember way back when gas prices were almost $2 a gallon and people were really mad and said they'd stop driving as much? Maybe they'd walk or bike more and stop taking so many trips? But that didn't really happen, right?
Well, noted consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow of Golden Gate University says that as consumers prepare themselves for another big spike in gas prices (some areas are close to $5 a gallon as that photo from a Chicago station shows), this jump will finally "mark a tipping point in the way that consumers psychologically respond to gas prices and begin major shifts in behavior."
Our prior optimism about prices eventually falling allowed us to avoid changing our behavior in the hopes of a decline, Yarrow says. But now, she says that we consumers have wrapped our brains around the fact that prices aren't just temporarily high, but that prices are continuously rising and the days of seeing low gas prices are over.
Faced with that realization, Yarrow says we'll have to decide to devote more of our income to gas or we're going to find ways to reduce our consumption.
Yarrow says there are four stages of how consumers psychologically respond to gas price increases:
First, there's a lot of consumer huff and hysteria, which made us feel like we were taking action without actually changing our behavior. Yarrow said this started nearly two years ago. Then we started driving a bit less to reduce consumption about a year ago. Now we're entering a stage where we are finding more aggressive ways to reduce consumption by driving even less and finding ways to consume less gas while driving. (hello. did you read Liz's hypermilling story today and tips on hypermilling blog post?)
In the last and final phase that Yarrow says we're about to enter, we will reconceptualize the role of transportation in our lives.
Reconceptualize is just a fancy way of saying that people who never took transportation or car-pooled will start; mainstream consumers will reject gas guzzlers and invest in more fuel efficient cars; people and companies will explore new ways to reduce commutes by reducing the work week to four days and telecommuting will become more common; more shopping and errands will be done online; and socializing will become more localized (instead of driving down to D.C., we'll have block parties, entertain at home and walk to neigborhood restaurants).
Yarrow also predicts that travel for vacations will be more special and less taken-for-granted.
I think a lot of us are already there, aren't we? I don't have much of a commute to work since I live and work in the city, but I've been thinking more and more about finding a used moped or bike to work (although I have to confess I fear for my life among some of our.. er... not so observant drivers). If I could convince my boss I wasn't at home watching Jerry Springer and eating cheesy poofs, I'd probably telecommute more. And most of my socializing is already done in my 'hood.
How have gas prices changed your habits?
(Getty Images)
Comments
or move next to your favorite restaurant
DD: Robie, You know I already live near my favorite restaurants.
Posted by: robie | June 12, 2008 7:25 AM