Texans and other Americans are taking more road trips due to the challenges of Covid-19 quarantine and social distancing. A recent survey from Chevrolet and Harris Poll shows that almost 80% of Americans think road trips helped them keep their sanity during the long pandemic.
Since Labor Day is one of the nation’s busiest travel weekends, Chevrolet and the Harris Poll collaborated to survey over 1,000 Americans. They asked the participants how they spent their time on the road the past six months. The all-new 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban are showing up in dealerships now, just in time for the majority of drivers who said they could use the best-in-class cargo volume offered by these full-sized SUVs.
Photo: Chevrolet
Most of the Americans surveyed said their vehicles brought a needed escape from home. Many of those surveyed said they had spent time exploring outdoor destinations like beaches and hiking trails. Almost three-quarters of those surveyed valued road trips more than they did before the pandemic. 80% of road trippers said taking a road trip was “one of their happiest moments” since March.
More Americans are enjoying outdoor activities and traveling to new destinations, some for the first time in their lives. The survey found 89% of those surveyed said their car allowed them to get out of the house safely, for a welcome change of scenery.
Of the road trippers surveyed, 20% visited a national park for the first time. More than 1 in 10 Americas went camping for the first time. 41% road-tripped to somewhere they’ve never been before. The top outdoor road trip activities include beaches (41%), hiking (31%), fishing (29%), and going to national parks (27%).
In addition to exploring new places, roughly 4 in 10 road trippers say that they now have a greater appreciation for the outdoors (43%) and for domestic travel (38%). And 56% said the vehicle has become “part of the family.”
Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban
Photo: Chevrolet
Bob Krapes, Chevrolet Trucks Marketing Director, said, “The open roads are a welcome change, and for decades, many Americans have embraced the outdoors with the Tahoe and Suburban as the ultimate road trip vehicles. This desire to pack up family and cargo and get out is part of these iconic SUVs’ DNA. The all-new 2021 Tahoe and Suburban have been completely redesigned to offer more space, comfort and technology to make road trips enjoyable and memorable.”
The survey showed more than half (53%) of Americans said more cargo room would make their road trip experience better. The new Tahoe and Suburban each offer best in class cargo volume. Tahoe has up to 122.9 cubic feet, while the Suburban offers up to 144.7 cubic feet.
One in three people surveyed said a rear-seat media system would make their road trip experience more enjoyable. Both Tahoe and Suburban offer a Rear-Seat Media System with a pair of 12.6-inch diagonal LCD HD touchscreens. The system offers rear passengers the ability to share content from one screen to another.
Photo: Chevrolet
Six in ten of those surveyed say safety features are very important for long road trips. The Tahoe and Suburban come standard with safety and driver assistance features. These features include Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Rear Park Assist and Front Pedestrian Braking. They offer class-leading 15-inch diagonal multi-color Head-Up Display, with up to nine available camera views, and other innovative technology.
The Chevrolet and Harris Poll survey showed more road trip plans are ahead for many Americans. Of those planning to road trip through the end of the year, 41% plan to road trip over Thanksgiving or winter holidays.
The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of General Motors/Chevrolet. The data presented in this document are based on responses received between August 17 – 20, among 1,000 adults ages 18+. Additionally, with an oversample of 200 Texas residents and 54 interviews combines for a total of 254 interviews among residents of Texas.
