Winter so far in 2026 has been an eventful one, weather-wise, and many Americans are still digging out from recent major winter storms. For those who live in areas with on-street parking, particularly in cities, this means are want to save the parking spots they worked hard to clear from snow. The latest data shows that as many as one-third of U.S. adult respondents have used a household object, such as a chair or bucket, to save an on-street parking spot after digging out their vehicle following a snowstorm (excluding ‘does not apply’). This includes 12% who say they ‘always’ do this. The practice is overwhelmingly led by Americans under 45, particularly Gen Z.
Beyond the topline and demographics, additional survey data offers a glimpse of how those who say they ‘always’ use items to save their snow-clear parking spots compare with those who’ve never done it (including those who have only ever heard of others doing it).:
Comfort Dish in the Winter: When asked to choose between meatloaf, mac and cheese, tomato soup with fresh baked bread, an egg and cheese sandwich and other as their favorite comfort food in the winter, those who use objects to save their car spots after snow are most likely to say meatloaf is their top comfort food in winter (43%), followed by mac and cheese (38%). These figures outpace those who don’t try to save car spots by 14 and 20 points, respectively. Non-spot savers are also six points more likely to say tomato soup and bread is their winter comfort meal of choice.
Time Spent in the Car: Street parking spot savers are more than 3.5X as likely as non-spot savers to say they’re spending 2 or more hours in their car each day.
Source for Breaking News: Those who use something to save their spot after a snowstorm are nearly 2X as likely as non-spot savers to say they get their breaking news from national network news channels, whereas non-spot savers outpace in turning to national news websites and social media. (Among those who follow breaking news).
Preferred Workout Entertainment: Post-snowstorm spot savers are nearly twice as likely as non-spot savers (41% to 22%) to say TV/movies is their preferred form of entertainment while they work out. They’re also more than twice as likely to cite podcasts (19% to 8%). The vast majority (68%) of non-savers say they prefer to listen to music while they work out, nearly twice the percentage of spot-savers who say the same (36%).
Reasons for Brand Loyalty: Those who always try to save street parking after winter storms are 6X more likely than non-spot savers to say ‘service’ is the reason they’re loyal to a brand (among those who are loyal to brands). Conversely, non-spot savers are 26 points more likely than spot savers to say quality is the driver of their loyalty to brands.
The data paints a picture of distinct urban lifestyles, where winter parking practices align with broader patterns in media habits, workout preferences, and brand relationships. By comparing those who claim their cleared spots with those who don’t, we see how differing priorities—from service-driven loyalty to quality-focused values—influence both our street-level actions and everyday choices in 2026.
Have you ever used a household object to save street parking after a snowstorm? Take this poll now and see how you compare with others who do the same:
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.