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Women and Men Carry Much Clout - With One Another - When it Comes to Car Purchases

23 September 1997

Women and Men Carry Much Clout - With One Another - When it Comes to Car Purchases, According To Simmons' Fall 1997 Study of Media and Markets

    NEW YORK, Sept. 23 -- Simmons' Fall 1997 Study of Media and
Markets, a national projectable survey of 20,000+ adults released today, has
found that 39% of men are influenced by women for car purchases.  An almost
equal number of women (41%) are influenced by men in the same category.  Word-
of-mouth is used most often for car purchasing information (27%) followed by
car dealer (22%) and consumer buying guides (14.5%).
    In the same Study, Simmons found that PC ownership has grown since 1995,
from 34% to 39.5% of the population, with a dramatic rise in e-mail usage
which doubled to over 10% in 1997, from 5% in 1995.
    Cellular phone usage has leapt from 21.5% of the population in 1995, to
31.5% in 1997.  Further, caller ID usage is on the rise, being used by 34
million Americans, with call blocking (22 million) and call return (24
million) falling close behind.

    Other findings include:

    -- 25% of the population use disposable cameras, and they are:
        -- college graduates
        -- incomes of 60K+
        -- professional managerials

    -- For ailments including backaches, arthritis, high cholesterol and
       sleeplessness, prescription drug use is down, while over-the-counter
       drug use is up.
    -- 49% of principal shoppers buy low fat/fat free products
    -- 43% of the population drink caffeine-free colas (vs. 39% in 1995)

    According to the Study, the hottest magazine titles based on increases in
audience levels are:

    -- Sunday Magazine Network                +64.5%
    -- Four Wheeler                           +34%
    -- Golf Magazine                          +31%
    -- US Airways Magazine                    +23%
    -- Bride's                                +20%

    Simmons' Study of  Media and Markets is a continuous national survey of
the American population,  measuring media habits (print and broadcast),
beliefs, preferences and product purchase behavior.  Over 20,000 respondents,
age 18+ and residing in the contiguous U.S. participate, and the results are
released each Spring and Fall.
    On September 4, 1996, The Study of Media and Markets was the first multi-
media research study with a primary focus on print media to receive
accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC).  Accreditation by the MRC
ensures that the Study was conducted in adherence to strict standards
governing the quality, integrity and accurate disclosure of the entire
research process.
    The Study is available via CHOICES, Simmons' proprietary data retrieval
software and several on-line services.
    Simmons is a leading market research company which specializes in
providing consumer marketing and media information through both syndicated and
custom studies.  In addition to The Study of Media and Markets, Simmons'
syndicated studies include:  Simmons TeenAge Research Study, The Kids Study,
The Hispanic Study, CompPro, Top Management Insights, The Consumer Online
Usage Study and The Gay and Lesbian Market Study.

SOURCE  Simmons