SMUG ALERT AGAIN Study Finds People Who Drive Hybrid Cars Are More Creative and Less Dogmatic Here we go again. The Los Angeles Times wrote an editorial a while back about how annoying they can be. South Park did a brilliant, semi-tongue-in-cheek episode about them in Season 10 (Smug Alert!). These are the hybrid owners that keep patting themselves on the back about what a noble car-buying decision they made. In the South Park lampoon, hybrid owners are so pleased with themselves that they start to like the smell of their own farts. Smug pollution has replaced smog pollution among some hybrid owners. Many hybrid owners -- and in particular, Prius owners -- have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation. They're sort of like Texans who always manage to mention their home state into the conversation. With gas prices heading toward four dollars a gallon, it's just more fodder for the smug ones. And as if hybrid owners weren't smug enough, a company called Mindset Media released a Mindset Profile(TM) of hybrid car drivers, which the company generated from a recent study conducted using Nielsen Online. According to the study, people who drive hybrid cars are 78 percent more likely than the general population to be highly creative or, in Mindset Media parlance, "Creativity 5s." Hybrid drivers are also far more likely to be more liberal than the general population -- "Dogmatism 1s," -- and the study found hybrid owners to be more open-minded, more spontaneous, and more assured of their ability to lead others. Mindset Media defines Creativity 5s as inventive and imaginative people. Creativity 5s also tend to be emotionally sensitive and intellectually curious. "A Mindset Buy(TM) of any of these 'hybrid Mindsets' will reach millions of people with the 'wiring' to love hybrids," said Sarah Welch, COO and co-founder of Mindset Media. "A Mindset Buy will extend the target reach of any hybrid plan simply and efficiently." The MM study coincides with the release of findings by Consumers Union about the true cost of car ownership. Factoring in depreciation and resale value, refueling costs, and repair and maintenance costs, Consumers Union found that a cheaper car can sometimes cost an owner more in the long run than a more expensive alternative. "At about $17,500, a Mitsubishi Lander could cost $5,000 less than a Mini Cooper to drive home. But considering the total costs of ownership for each car, the Lancer could cost you around $3,000 more over five years," says CU. So after surveying the cars for sale in the USA, Consumers Union determined that the hybrid electric Toyota Prius has the lowest projected ownership costs of any family sedan. If that's not enough to send the smug alert to new levels, Consumers Union also finds that Toyota Prius owners have the highest owner satisfaction quotients of any car owners. In response to the question, "would you buy this car again?," Prius owners answered in the affirmative more than any other (Porsche Boxster owners are runners-up in the owner satisfaction quotient). Both findings are reported in the April issue of Consumer Reports (a publication of Consumers Union), which just hit the newsstands. About Mindset Media: Mindset Media is an internet ad network for brands. Using what it calls its psychographic standard, Mindset Media purports to enable brand advertisers to target millions of people with the personality traits that fit their brands in online media buys. The company works in partnership with Nielsen Online to develop consumer profiles that help brand marketers specify their psychographic targets. - Back Seat Driving LA Car.com - The Cars and Culture of Southern California Magazine & Directory - BACK SEAT DRIVING - MARCH 2008 Editor's note: The author of this Back Seat Driver piece is a Prius owner
I am a hybrid owner. have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation - Nope. I like to tell people that I recently bought a new car (isn't that rather common?) but I don't mention what kind of car unless they ask. more likely to be more liberal than the general population - Yes. more open-minded - Yes. more spontaneous - No. more assured of their ability to lead others - No. inventive - not really imaginative - yes emotionally sensitive - no intellectually curious - yes This "hybrid type" doesn't describe me very well.
I like talking about Prii when asked but I don't see it so much as being smug -- more like trying to give a drink of water to a person dying of thirst.
Hello, my name is Paul, I'm a hybrid owner. have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation - No, and I don't smell my own farts either. I definitely don't conform to the smug stereotype. I'm a nonconformist's nonconformist. more likely to be more liberal than the general population - yes more open-minded - yes more spontaneous - yes more assured of their ability to lead others - not really inventive - yes imaginative - yes emotionally sensitive - I'm too upset to answer that one intellectually curious - yes So I don't conform either...
have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation - I used to. Now I interject my Xebra into every conversation. more likely to be more liberal than the general population - Yes. more open-minded - Yes. more spontaneous - I think I'm more thoughtful than spontaneous. I'm more likely to ponder and plan than to make spontaneous decisions. more assured of their ability to lead others - No. I'm not a leader. Forget it. Zip. inventive - No. I think I'm creative with words, but definitely not inventive with gadgets. imaginative - Yes. emotionally sensitive - Yes. intellectually curious - Yes. I guess I'm around 67% in conformity with their stereotype.
I knew you were going to say that! To me, the thing is the "Less Dogmatic." The article starts out talking about how smug Prius drivers are and how we interject Priusdom into ever conversation and then report that we are less dogmatic. Do they know what "dogmatic" means? So in the same article they say we are smug but less authoritative and arrogant. Huh?
I have thought about getting a vanity plate "2 SMUG" but I'm just too cheap to pay the extra $ each year. I always thought that I bought a car, not a philosophy of life. Who knew?
Judging from a lot of the avatars here, we don't believe in dogma, we believe in catma. Dogfriend excluded, of course.
Only thing I talk about is Hybrids and Prius I am not sharing my farts with anyone, they are too sweet I'm very liberal, hardly ever wear clothes much to my workmates displeasure. my mind is so wide open all my ideas have leaked out. Sometimes I do things after only a year or two's contemplation, I am very spontaneous. Follow me, I know the way Did I ever tell you about my idea for a car air conditioner that is powered by waste heat from the exhaust? Let me tell you about this idea I have ... I am not emotionally sensitive now go away and leave me alone boo hoo. intellectually curious, tell me about how that works
have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation - Not at all. more likely to be more liberal than the general population - Yes, but that has to do with all my friends being liberal. more open-minded - Yes. more spontaneous - No. more assured of their ability to lead others - No. inventive - No. imaginative - Sometimes. emotionally sensitive - Used to be. intellectually curious - Sometimes.
have a way of interjecting their hybrid ownership into any given conversation - Not really. I only mention it if asked. more likely to be more liberal than the general population- No. more open-minded - Yes. more spontaneous - No. more assured of their ability to lead others - No. inventive - No. imaginative - Yes. emotionally sensitive - No.. intellectually curious - Quite often.
