The Ypulse Report — Automotive
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Despite taking them away from their online lives, students still see getting their driver licenses as a rite of passage and a means of gaining freedom from their parents. As high schoolers, they use their new driving privileges to run family errands and shuttling siblings to school or work, but it’s a small price to pay to have a vehicle to drive to and from hanging out with friends. Their car is also a hangout destination in itself; a place to chill with friends, listen to music, relax, and even do homework without distraction.
While parents pay for most aspects of high schoolers’ driving — from car payments to insurance to filling up the tank — parents encourage collegians to take on those responsibilities themselves, bit by bit. High schoolers have little autonomy in choosing the vehicle they drive (and many don’t care because they’re just excited to have a car). College students take more initiative in choosing their own car, which they are also more likely to pay for themselves.
Motorcycles and scooters represent a cheaper vehicle to drive, but most students know little about them and they tend to associate them with danger (in both good and bad ways) and accidents, so very few ride.
Methodology: The results of the general driving portion of this Ypulse report are drawn from 1,221 interviews (255 high school students and 962 college students) conducted among members of the SurveyU panel between August 26 and September 19, 2011, and the motorbike portion from 1,499 interviews (249 high school students and 1,250 college students) conducted among members of the SurveyU panel between September 29 and October 26, 2011.
As summer nears, students have an eye to the future, lining up jobs and internships for the break. Whereas 70% of college students and 30% of high school students work during the school year, nearly all plan to get a job and/or take classes this summer. Not surprisingly, the type of jobs high school and college students are looking for are quite different. High schoolers want a job to make a little extra money and prefer part-time work so their job doesn’t absorb all of their free time. College students are looking for jobs that will benefit them long-term, such as internships and full-time positions that will help them gain work experience and look good on a resume.
Inspired by blockbuster buzz and the latest fleet of forward-thinking announcements out of Facebook, this Ypulse report takes an in-depth look at overarching youth trends in social network usage, brand perception and more. In a detailed analysis of habits and attitudes, topics include digital identity management, status update frequency and potential problem areas for young users (hint: more privacy controls, less random advertisements). With an eye towards the future of Facebook and the value of that virtual real estate for brands, we examine the evolving role of the social network in student life and what really stands to get in its way. Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,745 college students and high school students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape this large and influential generation of consumers.
For students and retailers alike, August marks the official start of Back-to-School season: A time to prep and be prepped for the school year to come. Throwing down the first chunk of the roughly $120 billion that students spend annually in disposable income, high school and college students (with the occasional parent in tow) make the pilgrimage to gear up for the year ahead. We were inspired to conduct the first-ever “netnographic dig” of the vital vessel that also serves as a walking fashion statement (or understatement as the case may be) for teens and twenty-somethings in school. We audited the contents of 1,113 backpacks, carried by current U.S. college and high school students within a nationally representative sample of college students, balanced by gender, class year, state and race. What we learned was enlightening.
In this report, we offer an in-depth look at dining habits and holiday shopping among teens and college students. This month we tap into the minds and stomachs of 1,000 college students and 500 high school students to find out where they eat when they dine out (hint: follow the golden arches), and how they grocery shop, cook (or “cook”) and snack when eating at home. Mom and Dad might be happy to note that both teens and collegians report eating a real breakfast (read: non-breakfast pastry) about four times a week, and most often are eating it at home. Meanwhile, in heartwarming holiday news for retailers, even with an eye out for bargains and tighter gift-giving circles, college students and teens both reported they were spending about the same amount this year as last, with college students planning to even increase spending. Interestingly, however, most expected to be getting the same amount or fewer gifts themselves.
In this edition of the Ypulse Report, we provide an in-depth look at the tools that students use to achieve academic success as well as what they plan to do after classes break for the summer. From textbook buyback to landing a summer job, Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,000 college students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape this large and influential generation of consumers. 
In this Ypulse Report we provide an in-depth look at student experiences this Spring. From Spring Break plans to summer jobs, Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,000 college students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape that shape this large and influential generation of consumers. 