General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why do people drive SUVs? [View all]KansDem
(28,498 posts)I don't know about SUVs in general but I remember this report from a couple of years ago--
From 2009--
A new study reveals that Hummer owners believe that they are defending 'America's frontier lifestyle' against 'anti-American critics'.
Since its inception as a civilian vehicle, the Hummer has often incited moral indignation from people who believe the car represents wastefulness, overconsumption, arrogance and everything that is wrong with America. But a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests that Hummer owners actually view themselves as possessing the moral high ground.
The findings were based upon interviews conducted on 20 U.S.-born Hummer owners, and discovered that most appealed to American myths such as the "rugged individual" and "boundless frontier" in upholding their choice to drive the infamous gas guzzlers.
The study's authors explain their conclusions in the paper: "Our analysis of the underlying American identity discourses revealed that being under siege by critics is an historically established feature of being an American. The moralistic critique of their consumption choices readily inspired Hummer owners to adopt the role of the moral protagonist who defends American national ideals."
The research was originally intended to study the sentiments expressed by the people who hold strong anti-consumption beliefs against Hummer owners, but discovered that Hummer owners share an equally strong moral indignation in the opposite direction.
--more--
http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/stories/hummer-owners-view-themselves-as-morally-superior
So one might suppose that the bigger the vehicle, the more moral the owner. Guess I'm immoral since I drive a Saturn wagon...