National Survey Reveals Large Majority of Americans Know How to Change a Tire
Cooper Tires survey shows 81% of Americans have had a flat tire and 74% say they know how to change a flat tire
A recent survey conducted by Cooper Tires found that the majority of Americans say they can change a tire. With younger generations, especially millennials, buying fewer cars than older generations, the prevalence of basic car skills and the ability to handle road mishaps, such as a flat tire, might appear to be waning. However, Cooper® found that almost three-fourths of Americans say they are confident they know how to change a tire.
“Our survey found that 81% of respondents have experienced a flat tire so, unfortunately, this is something that most drivers will face,” said Jessica Egerton, Director, Brand Development, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. “We want all drivers to be prepared for and armed with tire-change know-how and Cooper® offers step-by-step instructions on installing a spare tire on your car to get you back on your way until you can reach a mechanic.”
Believe it or not, 74% of Americans say they can change a tire. If you aren’t one of them, learn here. Tweet
In addition to better understanding Americans’ abilities when it comes to changing a tire, the survey also uncovered interesting links between habits, preferences, and tire change know-how.
Key findings include:
People who make (and keep) New Year’s resolutions know how to change a tire
- 82% of respondents who make New Year’s resolutions know how to change a tire, compared to 67% who don’t make resolutions.
- Respondents who “always” or “sometimes” keep their resolutions are very likely to know how to change a tire (92% and 83%, respectively), while those who never keep their resolutions fall back to 72% – roughly the same number as those who don’t make resolutions at all.
There’s no generation gap (or so people say)
- Somewhat surprisingly, younger Americans (millennials and Generation Xers) are more likely to say they know how to change a tire than older Americans. 78% of Gen Xers and 77% of millennials say they can change a tire, compared to 71% of baby boomers, 70% of Gen Z, and 67% of the Silent & Greatest Generations.
Right-handed or left-handed? No difference here
- 74% of both righties and lefties say they know how to change a tire – no other subgroup produced a tie.
Hot beverage drinkers are tire-change savvy
- Coffee drinkers (75%) are more apt at changing tires than tea drinkers (70%), but people who like both are the best tire-changers of the bunch (79%).
Read the full list of findings here.
Although the findings of the survey indicate that most Americans are already confident when it comes to changing a tire, Cooper® wants 100% of drivers to be informed and confident that they can change a tire so they are prepared when the situation arises. A step-by-step guide from Cooper® explaining how to change a tire is available here.
About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is the parent company of a global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of passenger car, light truck, medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Cooper’s headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio, with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations within its family of companies located in more than one dozen countries around the world. For more information on Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com, www.facebook.com/coopertire or www.twitter.com/coopertire.
About the Cooper® Tire Change Survey
The survey was conducted in November 2018 by APCO Insight and is statistically significant with a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
©2018 Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. All Rights Reserved. For complete product and warranty details, please visit www.coopertire.com.
Media contact:
Emilie Williams-Sinn
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