Kids (still) like cars

It seems so-called millennials may be more enamored with cars and driving than was previously believed. That’s according to a recent study conducted by cable television’s MTV network, in which three out of four respondents born in the early 1980s through the early 2000s said they’d rather give up social media for a day than their cars, with 72 percent of them preferring to eschew texting instead of driving for a week.

“Millennials, like other generations, see car ownership as a way to establish independence, but [they] also see car ownership as a way to craft their unique adult identity,” says MTV senior vice-president Berj Kazanjian.

The survey also determined that eight in 10 young people get around most often by car than any other form of transportation, and drive more miles per month than either baby boomers (934 miles vs. 544 miles) or gen-xers (at 934 miles vs. 790 miles). Prior reports had suggested today’s teenagers are far less interested in cars and in getting their drivers’ licenses than those from prior generations.

— Jim Gorzelany
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