Driving Force: An Exploration Of Texan Prius Drivers

The purpose of this study was to examine what Prius owners use their vehicle to tell the world about themselves and to discover whether this varies by gender. This was explored through the lens of situational simulation, a blending of Baudrillard's (1983) theory concerning simulation and current literature concerning gendered consumption of environmental goods and awareness.In-depth interviews with fourteen participants were the main source of data. The interview schedule was loosely based on the work of previous researchers (Heffner, Kurani and Turrentine 2007), though a unique questionnaire was included after interviews were complete. Participants were gathered using snowball methodology in two urban centers at opposite ends of Texas.The interviews provided interesting clues into gendered consumption patterns and environmental awareness with females being more likely to illustrate environmental concern and less likely to consume. Trends in political affiliation, age and income were also discovered.