A new AAA survey reveals that the national average price for a gallon of gasoline is expected to rise this summer. However, the same survey finds that in spite of the projected rise in prices, more Americans families are still planning a road trip.
During April, Americans across the country will start to see gas prices begin to climb as the industry wraps up spring maintenance and completes the switchover to summer-blend gasoline. AAA projects the national average for a gallon of gasoline to increase 40 cents this summer, peaking near $2.70.
However, not everyone will jump to make a change. The survey found that younger Americans (18-34) are more tolerant of higher prices and less likely to change habits compared to older consumers (35 and older).
“The good news is people are still planning to hit the road,” said Bevi Powell, Senior Vice President of AAA East Central. “We offer great tools to assist travelers on their road trips, such as the AAA Mobile App that list the closest stations with the lowest gas prices.”
This AAA survey finds that nearly a quarter of consumers believe the price at the pump is already too high. Over the years, public opinion for whether a gallon of gasoline is too high or too low has fluctuated as much as the price itself.
- When gas prices are above the $3.00 benchmark (as they were in 2013 and 2014), Americans believe prices should be six percent lower.
- When gas prices are below the $3.00 benchmark (as they were in 2015 and 2016), Americans believe a 25 percent increase is too high.
This report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among two national probability samples (landline only and cell phone), which, when combined, consists of 1,017 adults, 510 men and 507 women, 18 years of age and older, living in the continental United States. Interviewing for this survey was completed on February 2-5, 2017. 517 interviews were from the landline sample and 500 interviews from the cell phone sample. This study has an average statistical error of ±3.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for all U.S. adults.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 81 local offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Kentucky serving more than 2.7 million members.