There is a declined interest in driving cars in the United States. The Facebook generation prefers cycling and running.
American car manufacturers and marketers have been wondering about the behavior of young Americans. The Facebook generation (also called Generation Y or Millennials) buy fewer cars. They like cycling, and walking is also 'hip' among young people. This may be due to the crisis (as fewer young people buy a house) or is there more to it? Research shows that fewer young people get their driving license. The American ideal has always been that you got your license on your 16th birthday and immediately bought a car. That has changed. In 2008, 'only' half of the 19-year-olds had a driving license; in 1998 still two-thirds. For sales of new cars, the figures are even more dramatic.
According to the Atlantic Media Company, this trend was set by the economic downturn and sociological developments (extended adolescence, growing environmental awareness). Because young people indicate that they prefer living in cities rather than in suburbs or in rural areas (80 percent have a preference for an urban environment), this declining interest in cars might become permanent, according to The Atlantic. Bicycle manufacturers and shops will benefit. Last year, the number of bicycles sold in the United States raised by 13 percent.
