Voter Drive: Study says political ideologies correlate with what cars we buy
A new study by RL Polk & Co. shows that the kind of car you drive is tied to the state you live in, and whether that state is traditionally Republican or Democrat-leaning. The study shows that 36 of the 50 United States tie closely to political lines. Red states (Republican) typically buy domestic, while blue states (Democrat) typically skew import.
In states where Democrats won three of the past four elections, imports consist of as much as 60% of the market, while Republican strongholds favor domestics by up to 74%. The paradigm changes slightly in traditionally Democrat states that also produce a lot of cars and trucks. States like Wisconsin and Michigan still prefer domestic products. The three states that have been split over the past four elections also prefer domestic vehicles.
The exact reason for the phenomenon isn't clear, but a quick view of the political map shows that traditional Democrat strongholds are on the east and west coast, where imports are preferred. The center of the country traditionally favors Republicans, especially in the South. That's pickup truck country, and Ford, GM and Chrysler dominate the segment.
[Source: Washington Times | Image: Infovis.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
MaX PL 1:02PM (7/01/2009)
Michigan buys imports. Thats funny.
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Erik 1:10PM (7/01/2009)
Read the article, man
"States like Wisconsin and Michigan still prefer domestic products"
MaX PL 1:27PM (7/01/2009)
yeh my fault. i just looked at the photo, a photo that has nothing to do with this study apparently.
tuxchown 2:00PM (7/01/2009)
The photo has everything to do with the study. The colors indicate which party affiliation the state is most noted for.
Jim 2:01PM (7/01/2009)
"a photo that has nothing to do with this study apparently."
sure it does, it illustrates the state-by-state results of the last election. Michigan and Wisconsin were brought up specifically because they buck the trend, which (I assume) is largely because of the greater presence of unions.
Andre 5:08PM (7/01/2009)
*sigh* Max, sometimes when you make a mistake it's best to admit defeat rather than trying to "pass the buck" and coming up short.
The photo is very much related to the article.
Azael 1:04PM (7/01/2009)
It seems to me that the red states mostly consist of rural regions where pick up trucks make sense when you have a farm or a ranch.
And then the blue states consist of heavily populated cities where its cool to have that hot BMW to attract the ladies.
As for Texas, in my hometown, women prefer men with pick up trucks than men with BMW's, go figure.
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letstakeawalk 1:38PM (7/01/2009)
LOL, at least here in South Carolina our BMW Z4s and SUVs are considered Domestics - being as they're made in Spartanburg!
tuxchown 2:07PM (7/01/2009)
Being built in Spartanburg does not make them domestics if the domestic content is not high enough.
letstakeawalk 2:19PM (7/01/2009)
I understand your point, but we simple people see cars built in our state by members of our community, and we tend to think of those cars as being made here - regardless of the origin of the majority of the parts.
I know they aren't officially considered domestic... I think the Z4 runs about 30% domestic parts, and the X5 runs about 15%.
Azael 8:32PM (7/01/2009)
Its been a dream for me to go to Spartanburg, SC and enroll in BMW's Driving School. Whats it like living in the birthplace of such beautiful cars?
By the way, sorry about your lousy governor.
z-man 1:06PM (7/01/2009)
To me, this has always seemed like a "duh" thing
In Texas, there are lots of ford and chevy trucks, in California priuses (prii?) and other fuel efficient imports are abundant.
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XJ 2:02PM (7/01/2009)
Definately a big 'duh' thing. I live in Maryalnd and the further down south I drive (from Virginia to South Carolina) the fewer Toyotas and Hondas I see.
RWD fan 1:07PM (7/01/2009)
I think we're confusing correlation and causation here again. It's a higher likelihood that people from more rural areas tend to identify with the Republican party, while urban voters identify with the Democrats. The vehicle of choice for most rural residents would be truck based to deal with rough roads, the need to carry loads, and generally easier maintenance for the do-it-yourselfers.
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zamafir 1:28PM (7/01/2009)
Yup. There's also the median home income to contend with, the more money on average a buyer has, the more inclined they might be to purchase something less practical, purchasing a car for fun vs purchasing a truck out of necessity.
Farmboy 6:02PM (7/01/2009)
A little surprising to me. In Indiana (where I live obviously), I see more domestics than anything....but then again, Indiana barely went blue this past election...it was down to the wire. Indiana was red for a very long time. I see how this makes sense though.
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Kumar 2:33PM (7/01/2009)
The Accord typically outsells the Camry here too...go figure.
In the metro areas (like Indy) it's a toss up on whether people buy foreign or domestic. I think most people buying state made cars (Subaru legacy/outback, Honda civic, Toyota camry, etc) feel like their buying domestic in that people from your state were employed by your purchase.
Jason 1:48PM (7/01/2009)
The Washington Times and the Democrat (sic) Party. Pitiful excuse for professional journalism. They are the Democratic Party. Grow the hell up.
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jpm100 1:14PM (7/01/2009)
Being fashionable and with the 'in' crowd are two heavy marketing tactics with both Democrats and imports. So no surprise there's overlap.
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Brian 1:21PM (7/01/2009)
Have you ever seen an advertisement for a domestic pickup truck?