Millennials prefer tech to cars

Millennials would rather give up their cars than their technology, according to the survey.

Those aged 18 to 34 would rather lose their car than either their computer or their smartphone. All other age groups surveyed, including people 35 to 44, 45 to 54-year-olds and people more than 55 years of age ranked a car as their most needed piece of technology, millennials ranked it as their third priority. The survey polled more than 1,000 participants.

Senior Fellow in the Annenberg Schools’ Center on Communication Leadership and Policy Morley, Winograd said millennials’ attachment to technology shows where they place the most value.

Tired of tires · A study conducted by Zipcar found that millennials prefer their smartphones and their computers to their cars. The number of students requesting parking permits decreased on campus last year. — Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan

“It’s a reflection of the value that staying connected brings to millennials,” said Winograd. “The car is a transportation device, it gets you from point A to point B, it’s a solution to a physical distance problem, but a smartphone is a solution how to stay in touch with anyone … anywhere in the world,”

Millennials surveyed were also more concerned with their effect on the environment than other age groups were. They considered being eco-friendly as a factor in their decisions to drive less.

The survey found that millennials are more likely to purchase goods online. USC Marshall School of Business Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing Lars Perner said factors other than driving contribute to this.

“Part of it is that millennials have grown up with access to the Internet and feel comfortable buying that way,” Perner said.

Perner expects this trend to continue but believes online sales will never completely replace retail store sales.

USC Transportation Associate Director of Operations David Donovan said requests for parking permits on campus have dropped recently, but he does not completely relate it to the trend suggested by the survey.

“There has been a general decline [in parking permits requests], but we haven’t attributed it necessarily to millennials preferring cell phones,” Donovan said.

Brooke Seegan, a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering, said she thinks the survey seemed to reflect the majority view of millennials, even though she keeps her car on campus.

“My phone and computer are definitely more essential to me than my car,” Seegan said. “My car is more for convenience. It makes it easier to go to places like the beach, but I could take the bus there if I didn’t have my car.”

Steve Kearns, a freshman majoring in public relations, however, feels differently.

“Living in Los Angeles, transportation is key, and I could not accomplish everything that I do in a day without the luxury of a car,” Kearns said.

Though millennials might be split on the issue, Winograd said the trend  in the survey will pronounced in future generations.

“Mobility is the technology that will drive all other technologies in the future,” Winograd said. “So, now we have not only the millennial generation — but also the next generation — the so called pluralist generation, who are focused on the ability to have the Internet with them at all times.”