PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — With more than 1,000 responses already received, a university researcher is asking the industry to promote an online survey on how consumers use e-bikes. June 23 is the last day to take the survey.
John MacArthur, manager of the university's Sustainable Transportation Program, said responses have come in from 48 states and six Canadian provinces since the survey launched on April 23. He is especially interested in getting more responses from California users.
"I feel CA has the most e-bikes in the country and getting (a) more geographic spread of SoCal and NorCal would be great," MacArthur said in an email. He is also looking for responses from other states with big populations, including Florida, Texas, Ohio and Illinois.
Shortly after the survey launched, MacArthur said he hoped to receive at least 2,000 responses. That would make it the most comprehensive study ever done in North America of how consumers use their electric bikes, and is expected to be of great interest to e-bike suppliers and retailers.
Portland State is working with PeopleForBikes and the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association to help promote the survey. The groups are asking bike brands and retailers to spread the word through their websites, email lists, and social media accounts.
The university conducted a similar survey in 2013, which attracted some 550 respondents. North American e-bike sales have grown significantly since then, and MacArthur said he is interested to see how the demographics and usage patterns have changed.
People who take the survey are eligible to win one of 10 $50 Visa gift cards.
The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. MacArthur suggested that industry members use the following language depending on the channel they use to promote the survey:
For email lists and social media accounts:
Do you own an electric bicycle? We are partnering with researchers at Portland State University to learn more about why you decided to purchase an e-bike and how you use it. Take the survey and enter a drawing for chance to win one of 10 $50 Visa gift cards: https://tinyurl.com/ebikestudy
For Twitter:
Do you own an e-bike? Take this survey for a chance to win one of 10 $50 Visa gift cards: https://tinyurl.com/ebikestudy #ebike
Short version:
Take this survey and help us understand e-bike use in North America: https://tinyurl.com/ebikestudy #ebike
