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NW Poll

Car Cleanliness

April 26, 2022 by PEMCO Insurance

According to the latest 2022 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, 63% of people say their cars are mostly clean or even spotless. How about you? How clean is your car right now, and how often do you clean it?

Think about the vehicles you see people driving in the Pacific Northwest. Do you think most people find it important or not important to keep the inside and outside of their vehicles clean?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
22 20 Very important
51 51 Somewhat important
21 22 Not too important
3 4 Not at all important

Thinking about the vehicle you personally drive most often, how clean do you prefer your vehicle to be?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
12 10 Spotless
55 53 Mostly clean
26 29 Moderately clean
5 6 Not too clean
1 2 Not at all clean

Thinking about the vehicle you drive most often, right now, how would you rate the cleanliness of your vehicle, considering both the outside and inside?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
17 13 Values of 9 and 10 (Spotless)
46 45 Values of 7 – 8 (Mostly clean)
30 34 Values of 4 – 6 (Moderately clean)
6 7 Values of 2 - 3 (Not too clean)
1 1 Values of 0 – 1 (Filthy, Not at all clean)

How regularly, if at all, do you wash (or have washed) the outside of your vehicle?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
12 9 Once a week or more often
18 15 About once every other week or so
33 34 About once a month or so
35 40 Less often than once a month
1 2 Never

Washes the outside of their vehicle

Portland  
Female Female  
229 178 Total
7 5 Once a week or more often
21 17 About once every other week or so
33 32 About once a month or so
36 44 Less often than once a month
3 2 Never

Washes the outside of their vehicle

Portland  
No Kids No Kids  
266 213 Total
9 6 Once a week or more often
19 15 About once every other week or so
34 32 About once a month or so
37 45 Less often than once a month
1 2 Never

How regularly, if at all, do you clean (or have cleaned) the inside of your vehicle?

Total Portland  
737 350 Drivers
20 18 Once a week or more often
23 22 About once every other week or so
30 29 About once a month or so
26 31 Less often than once a month
1 0 Never

Cleans the inside of their vehicle

Portland  
Female Female  
229 178 Total
15 18 Once a week or more often
26 24 About once every other week or so
34 27 About once a month or so
25 31 Less often than once a month
0 0 Never

Cleans the inside of their vehicle

Portland  
No Kids No Kids  
266 213 Total
17 14 Once a week or more often
22 21 About once every other week or so
35 27 About once a month or so
26 38 Less often than once a month
0 0 Never

For what reasons do you not keep the inside and outside of your vehicle even cleaner than usual?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
38 38 I keep it clean enough now—I don’t see a need to keep it any cleaner
26 27 I don’t have the time necessary to clean it more often
21 24 There’s no point to it—my vehicle is just going to get dirty again due to weather or other factors
20 27 I don’t care about driving a vehicle that is a little bit dirty
16 18 I don’t want to pay any more money to have it washed in an automatic car was or by someone else
13 11 Other people who drive or ride in my vehicle are less careful about keeping it clean and it’s hard to consistently clean up after them
10 7 My vehicle is always spotless—it’s impossible to keep it cleanere
6 7 I don’t want to pay the money for the soap or other cleaning products that need to be used
6 7 Other

At this exact moment, how comfortable are you with the cleanliness of your vehicle? How well does it match how you like to present yourself to others you care about?

Total Portland  
737 320 Drivers
29 22 I’m very comfortable with the cleanliness of my vehicle right now
48 53 I’m mostly comfortable with it
12 12 I’m neither comfortable nor uncomfortable
9 11 I’m mostly uncomfortable with it
2 2 I’m very uncomfortable with it

At this exact moment, how comfortable are you with the cleanliness of your vehicle? How well does it match how you like to present yourself to others you care about?

Portland  
Female Female  
229 178 Total
31 18 I’m very comfortable with the cleanlines of my vehicle right now
41 51 I’m mostly comfortable with it
13 13 I’m neither comfortable nor uncomfortable
11 15 I’m mostly uncomfortable with it
3 3 I’m very uncomfortable with it

 

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Mutual Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 420 respondents in the Seattle Metro (King, Snohomish, Pierce Counties) region and 418 respondents in the Portland Metro (Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, Washington Counties) region yields an accuracy of +/- 5.0% respectively at the 95% confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

Supplemental interviews were conducted with people living in the Seattle metro area, including King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, and those in the Portland metro area, including Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah and Washington counties. The sample size, 578 respondents in the Seattle area and 509 in the Portland area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2% and +/- 4.4% respectively at the 95% confidence level.

About PEMCO Insurance

PEMCO Insurance is the Defender of Your Northwest, providing auto, home, renters and boat coverage. We are consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee expertise and social impact. Our Mutual Good programs raise the achievement levels for youth in education; build stronger, greener environments; and increase safety at home, on the road and at play. Our mission: Free our communities to worry less and live more. 

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