Horn Honking and Acknowledging Others
According to the latest 2021 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, Seattle and Portland residents are more inclined to honk their horns when driving now than they were 5 years ago. What are your thoughts about honking? Helpful or rude?
People have different attitudes about honking. Please drag the slide to the point on the continuum that best describes how you feel.
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 842 | 326 | 316 | Drivers |
| 14 | 11 | 18 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 21 | 21 | 21 | 26 – 50 |
| 44 | 44 | 43 | 51 – 75 |
| 21 | 24 | 18 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 56.4 | 58.7 | 54.1 | Average |
People have different attitudes about honking. Please drag the slide to the point on the continuum that best describes how you feel.
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2017 | 2021 | 2017 | |
| 11 | 10 | 18 | 9 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 21 | 43 | 21 | 39 | 26 – 50 |
| 44 | 33 | 43 | 42 | 51 – 75 |
| 24 | 13 | 18 | 10 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 58.7 | 52.8 | 54.1 | 51.7 | Average |
People have different attitudes about honking. Please drag the slide to the point on the continuum that best describes how you feel.
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 55 | 55 + | < 55 | 55 + | |
| 9 | 17 | 17 | 23 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 18 | 31 | 16 | 34 | 26 – 50 |
| 46 | 37 | 48 | 30 | 51 – 75 |
| 26 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 60.9 | 50.9 | 56.6 | 46.6 | Average |
How do you feel about drivers who use their horn as a way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention? Is honking never the right way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention (0) or always the right way to inform other drivers to pay attention (100)?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 576 | 291 | 285 | Drivers |
| 7 | 7 | 9 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 17 | 15 | 19 | 26 – 50 |
| 34 | 34 | 34 | 51 – 75 |
| 41 | 44 | 38 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 67.4 | 69.6 | 65.1 | Average |
How do you feel about drivers who use their horn as a way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention? Is honking never the right way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention (0) or always the right way to inform other drivers to pay attention (100)
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2017 | 2021 | 2017 | |
| 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 26 – 50 |
| 34 | 40 | 34 | 45 | 51 – 75 |
| 44 | 37 | 38 | 29 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 69.6 | 66.5 | 65.1 | 64.8 | Average |
How do you feel about drivers who use their horn as a way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention? Is honking never the right way to inform fellow drivers to pay attention (0) or always the right way to inform other drivers to pay attention (100)?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 55 | 55 + | < 55 | 55 + | |
| 6 | 10 | 6 | 14 | Zero to 25 (not appropriate) |
| 14 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 26 – 50 |
| 29 | 51 | 34 | 35 | 51 – 75 |
| 51 | 19 | 41 | 30 | 76 – 100 (appropriate) |
| 72.3 | 59.8 | 67.2 | 59.9 | Average |
When someone honks at you, which of these statements describe your typical reaction(s)?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 680 | 348 | 332 | Drivers |
| 48 | 51 | 45 | I acknowledge my mistake with a gesture of thanks |
| 41 | 37 | 44 | It startles me |
| 28 | 29 | 28 | It makes me feel bad, like I’ve done something wrong |
| 28 | 29 | 27 | I take the action the person honking wants me to take |
| 19 | 19 | 19 | It makes me mad, but I keep my anger to myself |
| 10 | 10 | 9 | I ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen |
| 8 | 9 | 8 | I don’t react at all |
| 8 | 9 | 7 | It makes me mad, and I let the person honking know it |
When someone honks at you, which of these statements describe your typical reaction(s)?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2017 | 2021 | 2017 | |
| 51 | 42 | 45 | 48 | I acknowledge my mistake with a gesture of thanks |
| 37 | 43 | 44 | 40 | It startles me |
| 29 | 24 | 28 | 32 | It makes me feel bad, like I’ve done something wrong |
| 29 | 21 | 27 | 24 | I take the action the person honking wants me to take |
| 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | It makes me mad, but I keep my anger to myself |
| 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | I ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen |
| 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | I don’t react at all |
| 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | It makes me mad, and I let the person honking know it |
In your opinion, in which of these situations is it appropriate for a driver to honk their horn?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 680 | 348 | 332 | Drivers |
| 74 | 70 | 78 | When there is someone else in danger and they need to be warned |
| 71 | 70 | 72 | When a driver is endangering other people’s safety and they need to be warned |
| 55 | 56 | 54 | When a driver is distracted (like on their phone) and you want them to pay attention |
| 31 | 32 | 29 | When traffic is congested and another person is driving erratically |
| 28 | 30 | 26 | When the driver wants to acknowledge somebody, like honking to say “hi” |
| 25 | 26 | 23 | When a driver is not following traffic rules and regulations and it irritates you |
| 12 | 11 | 12 | When there is another driver acting rudely and they need to be scolded |
| 6 | 7 | 4 | When a driver is angry at something else, but decides to use the horn to express their feelings |
| 5 | 6 | 3 | When a driver is in a hurry |
| 6 | 5 | 7 | Other |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Don’t know |
In general, just based on your own personal experiences, do you believe that drivers in the Pacific Northwest honk too much at each other, honk too little at each other, or do they honk about the right amount of time?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 680 | 348 | 332 | Drivers |
| 22 | 23 | 22 | They honk too much |
| 54 | 55 | 54 | They honk just the right amount |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | They honk too little |
| 9 | 7 | 9 | Don’t know |
Compared to drivers in other regions, do you think drivers in the Pacific Northwest honk more, regardless of the reason, honk less, or honk about the same amount?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 680 | 348 | 332 | Drivers |
| 15 | 16 | 13 | Pacific Northwest drivers honk more than drivers in other regions |
| 31 | 31 | 30 | They honk about the same amount |
| 41 | 36 | 45 | They honk less |
| 13 | 17 | 12 | Don’t know |
Compared to drivers in other regions, do you think drivers in the Pacific Northwest honk more, regardless of the reason, honk less, or honk about the same amount?
| Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2017 | 2021 | 2017 | |
| 16 | 11 | 13 | 5 | Pacific Northwest drivers honk more than drivers in other regions |
| 31 | 23 | 30 | 22 | They honk about the same amount |
| 36 | 58 | 45 | 63 | They honk less |
| 17 | 8 | 12 | 10 | Don’t know |
When another driver lets you go first, or lest you merge in front of them, how regularly do you acknowledge that with a wave of thanks?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 679 | 348 | 331 | Drivers |
| 63 | 61 | 65 | Always |
| 27 | 28 | 26 | Usually |
| 9 | 9 | 8 | Sometimes |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Rarely |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Never |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | Don’t know |
And, when you let another driver go first, or let them merge in front of you, how regularly do other drivers acknowledge you with a wave of thanks?
| Total | Seattle Metro | Portland Metro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 675 | 345 | 330 | Drivers |
| 13 | 14 | 12 | Always |
| 32 | 26 | 38 | Usually |
| 40 | 43 | 38 | Sometimes |
| 14 | 16 | 11 | Rarely |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Never |
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.
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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