NATIONAL PULSE – Millennials prefer Uber, older Canadians prefer taxis

Most hold a favourable view of ridesharing app, though two-thirds say it needs to be further regulated

By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

May 4, 2018 – A new public opinion study from the Angus Reid Institute finds age to be the main driver of opinion when it comes to Canadian preferences for ride-sharing app Uber.

While four-in-ten Canadians overall say they would prefer to call a taxi (39%) rather than an Uber (29%), differences in responses to this question run along generational lines. Half of Millennial men (49%) and more than four-in-ten Millennial women (43%) say they would rather open up their Uber app than call a cab.

For older age groups, the preference for taxis rises significantly, while the desire to use Uber drops.

This issue of ridesharing appears far from settled in Canadians’ minds, however. As legislators across the country continue to try balance the concerns of multiple stakeholders, including oft-powerful taxi lobbies, residents voice widespread concern over the regulation of this burgeoning technology.

In fact, two-thirds of Canadians say that ridesharing apps need to be regulated similarly to taxi companies to ensure quality and safety standards.

More Key Findings:

• Three-in-ten Canadians (29%) in the 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups have used Uber. This drops to One-in-four (23%) among 35 to 44 year old’s, and significantly lower for elder age groups.

• More Canadians hold a positive (49%) than negative (28%) view of Uber, while one-in-four Canadians are unsure or have no opinion (23%)

• One-in-three Canadians (34%) say that Uber should definitely be allowed to operate in their community regardless of regulatory confines, while four-in-ten (42%) say that they would be open to this but only “under the right circumstances”

• With Uber and other ridesharing apps continuing to grow, three-quarters of Canadians (78%) say that it is up to traditional taxi companies to “step up their game” to meet the rising competition

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/uber-rideshare