Advertising and demand for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

Demand for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) plays an increasing and outsize role in CO2 emissions. Some recent evidence suggests that advertising is partially responsible for SUV demand, but, to our knowledge, no primary research has examined this relationship directly with the use of sophisticated statistical tools. In order to fill this gap, we designed a survey and then obtained data from UK residents who either owned an SUV, owned a standard car but not a large motor vehicle, or owned no motor vehicle. Respondents reported on-line about their exposure to SUV adverts and to pro-ecological transport messages (e.g., encouraging the use of public transport). After statistically controlling for 10 demographic variables and 3 general advertising exposure variables, results showed that exposure to SUV adverts was significantly positively associated with current ownership of an SUV.