Just One Quarter of U.S. Adults Have a Winter Emergency Kit in Their Car

However, Majorities Say that They Do Have a Snow Scraper, Jumper Cables, or a Flashlight Stored in Their Car

10 December 2013

Trends & Prospective

New York, NY - Close to seven in ten (68%) U.S. adults say that they do not currently have a winter emergency kit in their car, according to a new online survey of over 1,000 adults conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CarMax. While this proportion is similar to that of the 2012 survey (65%), only one quarter (24%) of those surveyed this year say that they do have a winter emergency kit in their car, down from 28% a year ago. Close to one in ten (8%) report that they do not currently have a car, on par with last year (7%).

Much like last year, residents of the Northeast (35%) and of the Midwest (30%) are the most likely to have a winter emergency kit, compared to residents of the West (21%), and of the South (17%).
When it comes to the proportion of people who do have an emergency car kit in their car, there are very few differences across age groups this year; however, last November those aged 35-54 (29%) and those aged 55 and over (31%) were more likely than those under 35 (22%) to say that they had such a kit.
Those most likely to say that they do not have a winter emergency kit include those with a college degree (72% vs. 64% of those without); those who are married (72% vs. 63% of those who are not married); a household income of $50,000 or more (71% vs. 64%, respectively); and women (74% vs. 62% of men).
Compared to the findings of last year's survey, greater proportions of women (74% vs. 66% in 2012), those with college degrees (72% vs. 65% respectively), and those with higher incomes (% vs. 65% respectively) report that they do not have an emergency car kit.

Consistent with the 2012 findings, a majority of car owners report that they have an ice/snow scraper (60% vs. 58% in 2012) or jumper cables (59% vs. 60% in 2012) stored in their car. A majority (53%) also report that they have a flashlight, though more (59%) said so last year.

Fewer car owners say that they keep other important safety items in their cars, such as a blanket (39%), a First Aid Kit (40%), water bottles and/or snacks (25% or warning lights, hazards triangles and flares (23%) - showing little to no change from last year. One in ten (10%) of car owners claim they have none of the items mentioned.

Much like in 2012, men are more likely than women to say they have jumper cables (63% vs. 55% of women) or a flashlight (58% vs. 49%) in their cars. Women are less likely to report having a flashlight in their car than they were in the 2012 survey (56%).
Similar to the findings from the 2012 survey, those living in the Northeast (87% vs. 88% in 2012) and Midwesterners (87% vs. 82%) are among the most likely to have a snow scraper in their car. At the same time, Westerners (34%) are more likely to have warning lights, hazard triangles or flares in their cars than are those living in the Northeast (23%), Midwest (19%) or the South (20%), an increase over those surveyed in 2012 (25%). Southerners are least likely to have a blanket stored in their cars (27%, vs. 49% in the Northeast, 50% in the Midwest, and 41% in the West).
Those most likely to have a First Aid kit include those with children in the household (46% vs. 38% of those without children), and those who are married (44% vs. 35% of those who are not married).
Those without children in the household are less likely to report having a flashlight in their cars compared to those surveyed in 2012 (55% vs. 61%, respectively); they are also no longer more likely to have a flashlight than are those with kids, as they had been in 2012 (61% vs. 54%, respectively).
Younger car owners (44%) are the least likely to have a flashlight in their cars, compared to those aged 35-54 (53%), and those aged 55 and over (61%). This difference among age groups is somewhat similar to that of last year, where nearly seven in ten (68%) of older car owners had a flashlight, compared to 58% of those aged 35-54 and 51% of those aged 18-34.

These are some of the findings of Ipsos polls conducted November 21-25, 2013 and November 15-19, 2012. For the surveys, national samples of 1,016 and 1,005 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos' U.S. online panel was interviewed online, respectively. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire adult population of adults aged 18 and older in the United States had been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Rebecca Sizelove Associate Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 212.584.9253 [email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In the U.S., UK and internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, and the Hispanic polling partner of Telemundo Communications Group, a division of NBC Universal providing Spanish-language content to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world.

Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.