Focus Group Research for Improving Fuel Economy Label Design and Content: Phase 1

Focus Group Research for Fuel Economy Label Designs for Advanced Technology Vehicles (Phase 3)

focus gp 1_online survey

Focus Group Research for Improving Fuel Economy Label Design and Content: Phase 1

OMB: 2060-0632

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Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
1. Introduction
Thank you very much for agreeing to participate in one of our focus groups. As a person who recently
purchased a new vehicle, your opinions are very important to us. This brief survey will allow you to share
some of your opinions before the focus groups and allow us to use our time together most productively.
All your responses will be completely confidential and will only be reported in combination with those of
other focus group participants.
The survey will take about 12 to 15 minutes of your time and is best viewed by maximizing your
computer screen. Please be sure to scroll down to the bottom of each page and click the "Next" button
to proceed. The bar at the bottom of each page tells you how much of the survey you have completed.
The survey is programmed so that if you need to stop and complete it at a later time you will be brought
back to where you left off. Please click "Done" at the end of the survey so that your answers will be
saved in our database. Once you have clicked “Done”, you will not be able to make any changes.
Please complete the survey at least 2 days before your scheduled focus group. Thank you for sharing
your opinions and we look forward to meeting you in person!

2. Focus Group Information

* Please indicate your full name here
3. Focus Group Information

* Please indicate the focus group you will be attending.
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Seattle – 2/22 (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm)

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Seattle – 2/23 (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm)

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Charlotte – 2/25 (6:00 pm - 8:00 pm)

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Charlotte – 2/25 (8:15 pm - 10:15 pm)

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Houston – 3/3 (6:00 pm - 8:00 pm)

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Houston – 3/3 (8:15 pm - 10:15 pm)

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Chicago – 3/4 (6:00 pm - 8:00 pm)

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Chicago – 3/4 (8:15 pm - 10:15 pm)

4. Vehicle Information
In this section we are interested in the type of new vehicle you purchased most recently during the last
12 months.

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
What is the make and model name of the new vehicle you purchased most
recently? (For example – Make = Ford, Model = Explorer.)
Make
Model

5. Vehicle Information
Are you the principal driver of this vehicle?
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No

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Yes

6. Vehicle Information
About how many miles per year do you think this new vehicle will be driven?
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0-9,000 miles

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9,001-12,000 miles

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12,001-15,000 miles

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15,001-20,000 miles

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More than 20,000 miles

7. Process of Selecting Vehicle
Here we’re interested in the process you used to choose your most recent new vehicle.

Thinking about the new vehicle you purchased most recently, briefly
describe the method that you used to decide which vehicle to buy?

8. Process of Selecting Vehicle

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
Thinking about this new vehicle, please rank the top 5 factors in order of
how important they were in your decision to buy this new vehicle. (Use #1
for the most important factor, #2 next most important, and so on until you
have ranked the top 5.)
#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Performance / Handling / Power

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Price / Affordability

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Reliability/repair costs

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Low emissions

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Gas mileage / Fuel economy

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Warranty

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Size / Intended use / Seating /

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Interior and exterior appearance

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Brand name

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Comfortable to drive

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Other (specify below)

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Safety

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Features (such as stereo, GPS)

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Storage

If you chose 'other' above, please specify

9. Process of Selecting Vehicle
Did you have a specific make and model in mind when you first started
looking for a new vehicle?
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No

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Yes

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Don't know

10. Process of Selecting Vehicle
Was this the same vehicle you ended up purchasing?
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No

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Yes

11. Process of Selecting Vehicle

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
How many vehicles did you compare before making your decision?
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Just considered 1 make and model

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2

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3

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4

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5 or more

12. Process of Selecting Vehicle
What other vehicles (makes and models) did you consider before making
your purchase decision?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

13. Process of Selecting Vehicle
What or who did you rely on the most when deciding which vehicle to
purchase?

14. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase
Now we’re interested in how you thought about fuel economy when you shopped for your most recently
purchased new vehicle.

What does the term fuel economy mean to you?

15. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
Before buying your most recent new vehicle, did you search for information
about fuel economy?
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No

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Yes

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Don't know

16. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase
Where did you search for information on fuel economy? (please check all
that apply)
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Radio ads

Government Web sites (e.g. fueleconomy.gov, EPA

Green Vehicle Guide)
Auto magazine (e.g. Car & Driver, Road & Track,

Motor Trend)

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Auto dealers

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Television ads

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Edmunds.com

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Asked others who have similar vehicle

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Manufacturers' Web sites

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Fuel economy label on vehicles

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Environmental organization (please specify below)

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Consumer Reports

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Newspapers

If you chose 'environmental organizations' above, please specify which
organizations.

If you searched other places for this information, please specify where.

17. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘not important at all’ and 10 is ‘very
important’, how important a consideration was fuel economy when
choosing your new vehicle?
1 = Not
important

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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at all
Level of importance

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18. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase

10 = Very
important

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Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
Who do you consider a trusted source of fuel economy information?

19. Role of Fuel Economy in Vehicle Purchase
Do you consider the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a trusted source
of information for fuel economy?
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No

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Yes

If yes, why?

If no, why not?

20. Use of Fuel Economy Label
We are interested in your thoughts about the fuel economy label as a source of information.

Do you remember seeing the fuel economy label on vehicle windows when
shopping for your most recent new vehicle ?
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No

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Yes

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Don't know

21. Use of Fuel Economy Label

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
This is an example of the fuel economy label displayed on all new vehicles.

Do you remember seeing it?
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No

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Yes

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Don't know

22. Use of Fuel Economy Label
Was the fuel economy label important in helping you to choose the make
and model of your most recent new vehicle?
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No

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Yes

23. Use of Fuel Economy Label
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘not important at all’ and 10 is ‘very
important’, how important was the fuel economy label in helping you to
choose the make and model of your most recent new vehicle ?
1 = Not
important

2

3

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6

7

8

9

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at all
Level of importance

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24. Use of Fuel Economy Label

10 = Very
important

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Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey

Thinking about the information shown on the label, please rank the top 4
pieces of information in order of which were most important to you in
helping you choose the make and model of your vehicle . (Rank order with
#1 being the most important item, #2 next most important, and so on until
you have ranked the top 4.) PLEASE BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN SO THAT
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE ITEMS.
#1

#2

#3

#4

Highway mpg

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Reference to the ‘Free Fuel Economy Guide at dealers or

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Expected range for most drivers in regard to city mpg

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City mpg

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Estimated annual fuel cost

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Expected range for most drivers in regard to highway mpg

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www.fueleconomy.gov’
Statement ‘Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive
and maintain your vehicle’
Combined fuel economy comparison to other vehicles in the vehicle
class

25. Use of Fuel Economy Label

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey

Is there anything on the fuel economy label that is hard to understand or
that could be improved?
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No

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Yes

26. Use of Fuel Economy Label

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
What is hard to understand or what could be improved?

27. Use of Fuel Economy Label
Some people have suggested adding information to the label that helps
consumers compare vehicles on the basis of greenhouse gas emissions
(that affect global warming). On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘not
important at all’ and 10 is ‘very important’, how important was the
environment when purchasing your vehicle?
1 = Not
important

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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at all
Level of importance

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10 = Very
important

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28. Use of Fuel Economy Label
Please rank the following in the order you believe they pose the greatest
threat to the environment, with #1 being the greatest threat, #2 being the
next greatest threat to the environment, and so on until you have ranked
the top 3.
#1

#2

#3

Air pollution

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Drilling for oil

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Global warming

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Climate change

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Greenhouse gases

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Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

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Burning coal for

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electricity

29. Fuel Consumption
In this section we want to introduce you to another way of thinking about fuel economy. There are no
questions to answer, just information that we want you to read and think about before the focus group.
We strongly suggest that you print this page for reference.
Assume that a person drives 10,000 miles per year and is contemplating buying a new vehicle. Which of
the following scenarios do you think would reduce gas consumption the most?
A. Current vehicle - 15 mpg; New vehicle - 20 mpg
B. Current vehicle - 30 mpg; New vehicle - 35 mpg

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
C. Options A and B will reduce gas consumption the same amount
Some people think ‘gallons per 100 miles’ is more useful information than ‘miles per gallon’ because it is
more directly related to the amount of fuel consumed and to how much you spend on fuel. For example,
in the example above even though the change in miles per gallon is the same in both cases, you will in
fact reduce your fuel use more (and thus save more money) by changing from 15 mpg to 20 mpg.
Here’s how this works -- A vehicle that gets 15 mpg consumes 667 gallons of gas to travel 10,000 miles
(10,000/15) and a vehicle that gets 20 MPG consumes 500 gallons (10,000/20) to travel the same
distance. Thus you would reduce your gasoline use by 167 gallons by going from 15 to 20 mpg. But the
numbers work out differently if you go from 30 to 35 mpg, and the results may surprise you. A vehicle
that gets 30 MPG consumes 333 gallons to cover 10,000 miles (10,000/30) and a vehicle that gets 35
mpg consumes 286 gallons (10,000/35) to go the same distance. The reduction in consumption in this
case is only 47 gallons, meaning that your dollar savings from improving from 15 to 20 mpg are more than
triple the savings you would get by improving from 30 to 35 mpg.
A. Current vehicle - 15 mpg; New vehicle - 20 mpg; Fuel saved over 10,000 miles going from current
vehicle to new vehicle - 167 gallons
B. Current vehicle - 30 mpg; New vehicle - 35 mpg; Fuel saved over 10,000 miles going from current
vehicle to new vehicle - 47 gallons
You can see that replacing a vehicle that gets 15 MPG with one that gets 20 MPG can result in
significantly lower annual fuel consumption and costs. But explaining this to consumers is not easy. Your
participation in the focus group can help us to figure out how best to do this.
Please be sure to think about this issue before you come to the focus group. Please explain this
issue to a family member or friend to figure out how you think this can be best explained to
other people.

30. Demographics
In this section we would like to know a little bit about you. Please remember that all of your answers are
strictly confidential.

What is your gender?
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Male

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Female

Which of the following ranges includes your age?
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20-24

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45-54

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25-34

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55-64

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35-44

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65 or over

Vehicle Purchase - Pre-Focus Group Survey
What is the highest level of education you have completed?
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Less than high school

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High school diploma or GED

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College graduate (Bachelor's degree or equivalent)

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Postgraduate degree (Masters, Doctorate, Law,

Medical)
Some college / AA degree / Technical school degree


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