BOSTON, April 16, 2015 – Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, today released its fifth annual independent study which examines millennials’ (18-34 year olds) attitudes toward transportation, technology and lifestyle compared to older generations. This year, Zipcar analyzed the results by the geographic area in which respondents live and found, surprisingly, that city-dwellers of all ages displayed attitudes strikingly similar to those of millennials, whereas suburban and rural residents did not.

During the past five years, the Zipcar Annual Millennial Survey has consistently shown that millennials in the United States (regardless of where they live) report specific tendencies: they find it difficult to own a car; they would get rid of their car, TV or computer before they’d give up their mobile phone; they have a strong desire to protect the environment; and they are open to alternative forms of transportation.  

“This year’s study revealed that urban respondents of all ages felt and behaved almost exactly the same way,” said Zipcar President Kaye Ceille. “This suggests that ‘millennial’ in the U.S. is more a state of mind, related not just to age, but to city-living.  Conversely, suburban and rural respondents of all ages responded differently than city-dwellers.”

The survey responses reveal striking differences

• In the past year urbanites (44 percent) and millennials (45 percent) have consciously made an effort to reduce how much they drive and instead have taken other forms of transportation, more than suburbanites (32 percent) and those in rural (24 percent) areas.
• Urbanites (49 percent) and millennials (48 percent) want to protect the environment so they drive less, compared to suburbanites (37 percent) and those in rural (40 percent) areas.
• When asked which would be the hardest to give up — a car, mobile phone, computer/tablet or TV — both urbanites (32 percent) and millennials (41 percent) picked a mobile phone as number one, whereas suburban (41 percent) and rural (43 percent) residents chose a car as number one;
• Urbanites (65 percent) and millennials (67 percent) would like to see more public cell phone charging stations in their community, compared to suburbanites (51 percent) those in rural (46 percent) areas.
• Urbanite (83 percent) and millennials (83 percent) would like to see more walkable amenities in their community such as local restaurants, markets and more, compared to suburbanites (70 percent) and those in rural (68 percent) areas.
• Urbanites (80 percent) and millennials (84 percent) would like to see more free public Wi-Fi in their community, compared to suburbanites (74 percent) and those in rural (74 percent) areas.

“As an urban and millennial brand, Zipcar has watched the attitudes of these groups closely for years,” said Zipcar President Kaye Ceille. “The results are fascinating and make us wonder which factor — age or urban living — more strongly influences the adoption of new technology and mobility solutions that we've experienced.  One thing is for sure – our cities will continue to be strengthened with a population that is open to technological innovation, concerned about sustainability, and seeks to make communities better places to live.”

For more information on Zipcar’s millennial study, which was conducted by KRC Research, and surveyed more than 1,000 respondents, please visit: https://www.slideshare.net/secret/Kxz0tY122yS6mV. To find out how millennial you are, check out Zipcar’s new quiz at www.zipcar.com/millennialmind.

Zipcar gives its members on-demand access to a wide variety of cars in hundreds of cities and college campuses worldwide, as well as airports when they travel. With Zipcars available 24/7 for reservation via Zipcar’s mobile app, through www.zipcar.com, or over the phone, Zipcar is a smart transportation option for those who only need a car by the hour or by the day. Each reservation includes gas, insurance and 180 miles per day.

About Zipcar
Zipcar, the world's leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout Austria, Canada, France, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zipcar offers more than 50 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

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Media Contact:

Lindsay Wester, Public Relations Manager, Zipcar, 617.336.4749, [email protected]