NW Poll

E-Scooters

February 10, 2020 by PEMCO Insurance

According to the 2020 PEMCO Insurance NW Poll, 47% of Northwest residents believe e-scooters are a practical way for people to get around urban settings more quickly and efficiently. Half of Northwest residents (50%) also view these two-wheeled vehicles as at least somewhat safe to ride, while 49% say they are at least somewhat safe to be around. How about you? How do you feel about e-scooters?

Some communities in the Northwest have introduced, or are considering introducing, programs for sharing these electric scooters (much like the shared bicycle programs). Before now, were you aware that such programs have been considered and, in some cases, implemented in Northwest communities?

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
68	70	64	75	80	Yes
25	23	29	19	14	No
7	7	7	6	6	Don’t know

Have you ever used a shared e-scooter before, either in your own city or somewhere you were visiting?

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
16	18	12	14	15	Yes
52	52	52	61	65	Aware, non-users
25	23	29	19	14	Not aware, non-users
7	7	7	6	6	Don’t know

Have you ever used a shared e-scooter before, either in your own city or somewhere you were visiting?

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	Males	Females	Males	Females
1005	343	235	257	170	All
16	20	14	17	5	Yes
52	53	51	56	47	Aware, non-users
25	19	29	21	41	Not aware, non-users
7	8	6	6	7	Don’t know

Have you ever used a shared e-scooter before, either in your own city or somewhere you were visiting?

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	< 55	55+	< 55	55+
1005	402	176	263	164	All
16	23	7	18	2	Yes
52	47	62	46	64	Aware, non-users
25	22	26	29	29	Not aware, non-users
7	8	5	7	5	Don’t know

When you think about shared e-scooter programs, do you think of them more as an effective transportation resource, or more as a resource for playing and having fun?

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
29	30	28	31	31	Effective transportation resource
55	55	56	55	56	Resource for playing and having fun
16	15	16	14	13	Don’t know

When you think about shared e-scooter programs, do you think of them more as an effective transportation resource, or more as a resource for playing and having fun?

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	Males	Females	Males	Females
1005	343	235	257	170	All
29	35	23	32	23	Effective transportation resource
55	50	61	55	58	Resource for playing and having fun
16	15	16	13	19	Don’t know

In general, when you think about shared e-scooter programs and their impact on pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, are you more likely to view the shared e-scooter programs as:

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
47	47	46	48	47	An effective resource—helping people get around urban settings faster and more efficiently
39	39	37	39	41	A nuisance—getting in the way and making it more difficult to get around in urban settings
14	14	17	13	12	Don’t know

In general, when you think about shared e-scooter programs and their impact on pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, are you more likely to view the shared e-scooter programs as:

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	< 55	55+	< 55	55+
1005	402	176	263	164	All
47	57	25	52	37	An effective resource—helping people get around urban settings faster and more efficiently
39	30	61	33	45	A nuisance—getting in the way and making it more difficult to get around in urban settings
14	13	14	15	18	Don’t know

In general, when you think about shared e-scooter programs and their impact on pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, are you more likely to view the shared e-scooter programs as:

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
4	4	4	4	3	Extremely safe for riders
10	11	9	11	10	Very safe
36	37	36	36	33	Somewhat safe
31	29	33	32	37	Not too safe
11	12	11	12	13	Not at all safe
8	7	7	5	4	Don’t know

When you think about the safety of those who ride e-scooters, do you think e-scooters are:

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	< 55	55+	< 55	55+
1005	402	176	263	164	All
4	6	1	5	1	Extremely safe for riders
10	14	3	9	9	Very safe
36	40	29	40	30	Somewhat safe
31	25	39	29	41	Not too safe
11	7	22	20	12	Not at all safe
8	8	6	7	7	Don’t know

And, when you think about the safety of other pedestrians, cyclists and drivers when e-scooter riders are nearby, do you think e-scooters are:

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
5	6	5	6	3	Extremely safe for others
12	12	11	9	10	Very safe
32	32	33	34	31	Somewhat safe
30	29	32	31	34	Not too safe
14	15	13	16	16	Not at all safe
7	6	6	4	6	Don’t know

And, when you think about the safety of other pedestrians, cyclists and drivers when e-scooter riders are nearby, do you think e-scooters are::

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	< 55	55+	< 55	55+
1005	402	176	263	164	All
5	7	1	8	1	Extremely safe for others
12	16	4	10	11	Very safe
32	36	22	38	25	Somewhat safe
30	22	45	27	41	Not too safe
14	12	23	11	15	Not at all safe
7	7	5	6	7	Don’t know

Users of e-scooter and bike share programs are typically responsible for leaving their e-scooter or bike in an appropriate place when they are finished using it. In general, how well do you think users of these shared e-scooter and/or bike programs do at leaving equipment in appropriate places?

Weighted Total	Washington (Unwghted)	Oregon (Unwghted)	Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
1005	578	427	578	509	All
9	9	8	7	7	They do a great job
20	19	20	17	18	They do a good job
32	32	32	35	33	They do a fair job
23	26	19	30	26	They do a poor job
16	14	21	11	16	Don’t know

And, when you think about the safety of other pedestrians, cyclists and drivers when e-scooter riders are nearby, do you think e-scooters are::

	Washington		Oregon
Weighted Total	< 55	55+	< 55	55+
1005	402	176	263	164	All
9	13	1	10	5	They do a great job
20	22	13	23	15	They do a good job
32	33	30	31	33	They do a fair job
23	21	37	17	21	They do a poor job
16	11	19	19	26	Don’t know

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO 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, 578 respondents in Washington and 427 in Oregon, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2 and 4.8% 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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