Put it in drive

Andrew posted the following this morning:

From this month's Harper's Index: "Chance a U.S. household that owns a Prius also owns an SUV: 1 in 3." Ryan Sager is unsurprised:

It would surprise you, if you didn’t read this blog and already know that we’re constantly calculating the trade-off between being able to see ourselves as good people and the cost of engaging in all that non-advantageous goodness. Already own an SUV? Soothe your conscience with a hybrid. Already own a hybrid? You’ve been good! You deserve that SUV! Welcome to being human.

Which of course assumes too much. (As we've seen, it's always a good time to try to take Prius owners down a notch.)

First, what that means is that, in 2 car households, there is a 2 in 3 chance that they don't own an SUV.

Second, it doesn't address how often the Prius is driven compared to the SUV.

Third, it fails to acknowledge that a household is comprised of multiple individuals, often with competing values. Dad may be a strong environmentalist, and mom may be more focused on schlepping the kids to soccer practice. That doesn't mean that dad is offsetting his guilt by getting a Prius; he's gotten the car he wants, consistent with his conscience. If mom isn't there yet, that's her issue.