Continental Mobility Study 2022: World Concerned about Affordability

Continental conducted the representative mobility study together with renowned market research company infas for the seventh time. In May 2022, infas surveyed 6,000 citizens aged between 18 and 70 across Germany, France, Norway, the US, Japan and China, on their personal mobility requirements and their travel and leisure behavior.

People are increasingly worried about the affordability of their mobility. This is one of the key findings of the Mobility Study 2022, published today by Continental. Generally high inflation rates and above all the rapid rise in energy prices are threatening to put the brakes on the transformation of mobility in Germany. Sustainability, specifically in relation to cars, is becoming increasingly relevant to a majority of German citizens. In accordance with this, only 44 percent of Germans surveyed expect the future of mobility to be electric. For a narrow majority of people in Germany, however, environmentally friendly mobility is not currently viewed as a priority against the backdrop of high electricity, gasoline and diesel fuel prices. In addition, more than half of those surveyed in Germany will no longer be able to afford to drive if the price of gasoline exceeds €2.80 per liter. Cost is on people’s minds when it comes to switching to climate-friendly mobility as well: half of the respondents are not prepared to spend more on an environmentally friendly vehicle than on a conventional one. At the same time, almost half (43 percent) indicate the high costs as a reason against specifically purchasing an electric vehicle. In the opinion of a vast majority, governments should therefore do more – through subsidies, for instance – to ensure a rise in the proportion of emission-free vehicles and, above all, to ensure that mobility remains affordable overall. It is the duty of policymakers to create the framework conditions required to achieve this – these expectations are made quite clear by those who took part in the mobility study. “For over a decade now, the mobility study has been an important barometer for the global development of mobility trends and the acceptance of new technologies,” says Continental CEO Nikolai Setzer. “The findings of the latest study show that people worldwide want driving to be safer, more convenient and also more sustainable. But first and foremost, it must remain affordable.”

Mobility Study 2022

Source: Continental