An ongoing research project on teens and travel led by Lewis Center Faculty Fellow Evelyn Blumenberg and Lewis Center Director Brian Taylor was referenced in a recent CBS story about declining automobile usage. Blumenberg, Taylor, and their research team find that young Americans today are traveling much fewer miles than previous generations.
In support of the study, the CBS article mentions related research indicating that Americans overall are now driving less than in the past. Although the number of total trips taken by Americans rose in 2013, fuel consumption by Americans driving automobiles has declined. The recession, fuel economy, gas prices, and other economic factors appear to be partially responsible for the decline.