Index of Consumer Sentiment Joanne Hsu, University of Michigan Consumer sentiment fell back about 10% this May following three consecutive months of very little change. This 8.1 index-point decrease is statistically significant and brings sentiment to its lowest reading in about five months.
Another Roadblock to the EV Transition: Personal Politics Mike Colias, Wall Street Journal [unlocked] In a recent Morning Consult poll of about 2,200 American adults conducted for The Wall Street Journal, about four in 10 said they had an unfavorable view of EVs. Of those who are opposed to them, 38% said their political views were a factor. Even more of those with unfavorable views—63%—cited China’s dominance of the EV supply chain as a reason. As for party affiliation, 31% of people who identified themselves as conservative said they had a favorable view of EVs, compared with 66% of liberals.
Hybrids vs EVs: What Americans are picking and why Nicolás Rivero, Washington Post Americans are more hesitant to buy EVs now than they were a year ago, according to a March Gallup poll, which found that just 44 percent of American adults say they’d consider buying an EV in the future, down from 55 percent last year. High prices and charging worries consistently rank as the biggest roadblocks for electric vehicles, but political partisanship is starting to factor in. Republicans are less likely to buy an EV than Democrats. Michigan: Perception-Reality Gaps Point to ‘Era of Misinformation’ Across Economy, Education, and Democracy Detroit Regional Chamber Today, the Detroit Regional Chamber released findings from its latest statewide poll of 600 registered Michigan voters in partnership with the Glengariff Group, Inc. Voter perceptions of what is happening show a troubling disconnect from the facts. This perception-reality disconnect is an extension of lingering variance between what voters think of general economic conditions versus their own circumstances – a prominent theme spanning much of the Chamber’s polling in recent years.