Paying up at the pump fuels a lot of our travel, from vacation road trips to our everyday commute. But filling up our vehicles has gotten a lot more expensive over the past few years, and gas prices are now roughly 37% higher than the historical average. In light of this, we decided to see what Americans have to say about how gas prices affect where they go and how they get there.
WalletHub performed a nationally representative online survey, asking people about everything from what factors are most important to them when choosing a gas credit card to how they feel about current gas prices. You can find the complete results in the infographic below.
Key Stats
- Tariffs Put the Brakes on Driving: 48% of Americans say tariffs on everyday goods will prevent them from driving as much.
- Penniless After the Pump: 69% of Americans feel that gas prices are too high.
- Gas Inflation Hits Harder: Nearly 1 in 5 people say that high gas prices are worse than food inflation.
- High Demand for Gas Rewards: More than 4 in 5 Americans prefer earning rewards on gas over other travel purchases.
- Demand for Gas-Only Cards: Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have a credit card just for gas.
- Recipe for Disaster: 64% of people say that the combination of $4 gas, high inflation and tariffs would destroy their finances.
Full Survey & Responses
| How do you feel about current gas prices? | |
|---|---|
| They’re too high | 69% |
| They’re ok | 26% |
| They’re low | 5% |
| If you got to earn rewards on only one of the following types of purchases, what would it be? | |
| Gas | 81% |
| Airfare | 7% |
| Hotels | 5% |
| Uber/Lyft/Taxi | 4% |
| Cruise | 3% |
| Which is worse: food inflation or high gas prices? | |
| Food inflation | 83% |
| High gas prices | 17% |
| What factors are most important to you when choosing a gas credit card? (Select all that apply) | |
| Rewards program | 58% |
| Interest rate | 47% |
| Annual fee | 41% |
| Convenience (widely accepted) | 35% |
| Brand reputation | 18% |
| Are gas credit cards a good way to save money on gas purchases? | |
| Yes | 58% |
| No | 42% |
| Do you compare gas prices before deciding where to fill up? | |
| Yes | 83% |
| No | 17% |
| Do rewards make you feel better when gas prices are high? | |
| Yes | 67% |
| No | 33% |
| Do you have a credit card just for gas? | |
| Yes | 31% |
| No | 69% |
| Will tariffs on everyday goods prevent you from driving as much? | |
| No | 52% |
| Yes | 48% |
| Would the combination of $4 gas, high inflation and tariffs destroy your finances? | |
| Yes | 64% |
| No | 36% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
Methodology
This report reflects the results of a nationally representative online survey of over 200 respondents.
After we collected all responses, we normalized the data by age, gender, and income so that the sample would reflect U.S. demographics.
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