Uber Perception Rocked After Michigan Driver Shooting

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
February 26, 2016, 7:35 PM GMT+0

Uber’s consumer perception fell to its lowest level since last June in the wake of a Michigan Uber driver’s shooting spree last Saturday night.

Uber has had a lot of public ups and downs, from driver wage protests to outrage over surge pricing, to rape accusations, but nothing has hit it harder than this deadly incident.

To measure perception, YouGov BrandIndex used its Buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" A score can range from 100 to -100 with a zero score equaling a neutral position.

Uber’s Buzz score at the time of the shooting was 3, and has now dropped to -6. Its previous low was -3 last June at the same time California forced the company to classify its drivers as employees instead of contractors, possibly upending its business model there and other states.