A new survey, Auto Anxiety, by dealership group Dick Lovett has found that two in five people avoid going to garages in case they cannot afford the repair work required on their vehicle.
The survey of 2,000 UK respondents aimed to find out how many people suffer from ‘Auto Anxiety’. In addition, one in three stated they find garages intimidating, while around 50% of women said they feel anxious visiting workshops.
The ‘Auto Anxiety’ capital of the UK is, in fact, Liverpool with over half (52%) of people surveyed admitting to feeling anxious when they visit a car garage. This is closely followed by Newcastle (45%), and Belfast (44%).
The city with the least people feeling anxiety around car garages is Brighton with only 1 in 5 people feeling apprehensive, closely followed by Plymouth at 24%.
When it comes to why people avoid workshops, the reason that came in the top spot was people fearing that they won’t be able to afford the repairs needed (41%). Members of the public feeling that the environment is intimidating claimed second place, alongside feelings of anxiety when at the mechanics with over a third of people admitting to both (38%).
Auto Anxiety and Gender Stereotypes
Gender stereotypes are a common theme throughout the automotive industry, and some notable statistics in the study confirm that. Almost 44% of women surveyed said they have felt uncomfortable visiting a car garage simply because of their gender. The study also reveals that 40% of women would trust a car garage more if there were more female mechanics.
At the other end of the spectrum, an enormous 45% of men surveyed said that people expect them to know about car mechanics purely based on their gender, with most agreeing that this pressure and expectation can lead to increased anxiety if you don’t have the knowledge, interest or experience.
Looking to the future of car repairs, is there going to be a rise in online services? The study found that the demand is becoming increasingly popular with younger generations, with almost 40% of Gen Z claiming to search online for answers instead of visiting a garage.
