(September 4, 2020) DETROIT — The challenges of quarantine and social distancing helped spur a resurgence in the American road trip, a new survey from Chevrolet and The Harris Poll shows. In fact, nearly 80 percent of Americans credited road trips as helping to keep their sanity during the pandemic.

In advance of Labor Day — typically one of the nation’s busiest travel weekends — Chevrolet worked with The Harris Poll to survey over 1,000 Americans to discover exactly how they spent their time on the road over the past six months, and the effect it had.

With the all-new 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban in dealerships now, these results come at a time when drivers indicated they could use the best-in-class cargo volume for anyone – or anything – that comes along for the ride.

A majority of Americans said their vehicles became a much-needed escape from home, with many exploring outdoor destinations like beaches and hiking trails. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they value road trips more than they did before the pandemic, and 80 percent of road trippers said going on a road trip has been “one of their happiest moments” since March.

The circumstances throughout 2020 have driven Americans outdoors and to new destinations, many for the first time in their lives. The survey found 89 percent of Americans said their car allowed them to get out of the house safely for a much-needed change of scenery. Among road trippers:
    •    Twenty percent visited a national park for the first time
    •    More than 1 in 10 Americans went camping for the first time
    •    Forty-one percent road tripped to somewhere they’ve never been before
    •    The top outdoor road trip activities include beaches (41 percent), hiking (31 percent), fishing (29 percent) and going to national parks (27 percent)



In addition to exploring new places, roughly 4 in 10 road trippers say that they now have a greater appreciation for the outdoors (43 percent) and for domestic travel (38 percent). And 56 percent said the vehicle has become “part of the family.”

“The open roads are a welcome change, and for decades, many Americans have embraced the outdoors with the Tahoe and Suburban as the ultimate road trip vehicles,” said Bob Krapes, Chevrolet Trucks marketing director. “This desire to pack up family and cargo and get out is part of these iconic SUVs’ DNA. The all-new 2021 Tahoe and Suburban have been completely redesigned to offer more space, comfort and technology to make road trips enjoyable and memorable.”

According to the survey, half (53 percent) of Americans said more cargo room would make their road trip experience better, and the new Tahoe and Suburban deliver. Each offers best-in-class cargo volume: up to 122.9 cubic feet for Tahoe and up to 144.7 cubic feet for Suburban. One in 3 of those surveyed said a rear-seat media system would make their road trip experience more enjoyable. Both Tahoe and Suburban offer an available Rear-Seat Media System that includes a pair of 12.6-inch diagonal LCD HD touchscreens for rear passengers capable of displaying content, sharing from one screen to another or “sending” suggested locations to the front-seat passengers.

More than half of those surveyed cited safety features’ importance to an enjoyable road trip. Many vehicles now come standard with robust safety and driver assistance features* including Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Rear Park Assist and Front Pedestrian Braking while offering an available class-leading 15-inch diagonal multi-color Head-Up Display, class-leading up to nine available camera views*, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert and other innovative technology.

As Americans continue to explore new ways to spend time out of the home, the survey conducted by Chevrolet and The Harris Poll showed more road trip plans are still ahead. Of those planning to road trip through the end of the year, 41 percent plan to road trip over Thanksgiving or winter holidays.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of General Motors/Chevrolet.  The data presented in this document are based on responses received between August 17 – 20, 2020 among 1,000 adults ages 18+.  Additionally, with an oversample of 200 Texas residents and 54 interviews combines for a total of 254 interviews among residents of Texas.