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ON24 Study: Seniors Concerned about Gas Prices

June 26th, 2012

Most older Americans believe lawmakers will not act to lower gas prices this summer

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – June 26, 2012 – ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual events, today announced the findings of its travel survey of over 2,000 American adults aged 18 and older, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of ON24 in May. Interestingly, older Americans were more likely than their younger counterparts to be concerned about the effects of fluctuating gas prices this summer.

The results of the survey show uneasiness in everything from small business spending to travel. Those aged 55+ were more likely than 18- to 34-year-olds to say each of the following will occur as a result of higher gas prices this summer:

  • As gas prices fluctuate, lawmakers will continue to play political games to suit their own political goals (73% vs. 39%)
  • Congress will take no action (61% vs. 37%)
  • Small businesses will have to slow business travel spending (49% vs. 34%)
  • Consumers will increase the amount of time they currently spend searching for the cheapest flights (40% vs. 32%)

ON24, whose virtual environments are often used as alternatives to traveling to in-person events, conducted the survey to evaluate how fuel prices are impacting attitudes and travel.

Overall, the survey found that almost three out of five (58%) Americans believe lawmakers will “play political games to suit their own personal political goals” amid higher gas prices this summer.  And, while many Americans begin to pay closer attention to the Presidential election and turn to Congress for answers, only 4% of Americans said they think Congress will pass and send a bill to the President lowering gas taxes, and fully half (50%) say that Congress will take no action at all.

When asked about the further ramifications of higher gas prices this summer, Americans said:

  • Small businesses will have to slow business travel spending – 42%
  • People will increasingly look to online or virtual alternatives to travel – 37%
  • Consumers will increase the amount of time they currently spend searching for the cheapest flights – 35%

“Are older Americans more pessimistic or simply more realistic?” commented Denise Persson, Chief Marketing Officer at ON24.  “We can all agree that surviving and thriving in a tough economy requires a new set of tools. The data demonstrate an increasing need for virtual alternatives to travel that allow people and businesses to save money, be kinder to the environment and experience previously unachievable levels of convenience and efficiency.”

About ON24, Inc.

ON24, the virtual communications platform for the global enterprise, provides interactive, impactful cloud-based solutions that drive outstanding results. ON24 offers a broad and innovative product portfolio, including webcasting, virtual events and virtual environments, accessible from any device and supported by robust reporting and analytics. Applications for the ON24 communication platform include demand generation, partner enablement, training, product launches, company town hall meetings and user conferences. More than 700 organizations, including IBM, CA Technologies, Merck, Unilever, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Amazon and New York Life, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices throughout the world. For more information, visit https://www.ON24.com.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of ON24 from May 16-18, 2012, among 2,159 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and, therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Tom Carpenter at tom.carpenter@grayling.com.