A national poll conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) shows that that consumer knowledge of how to use high ethanol fuel blends remains relatively unchanged from the last few years. According to 2016 poll results, 64 percent of American adults who own outdoor power equipment say they are either not sure (42 percent) or don’t pay attention (22 percent) to what type of fuel they use. In 2015, 45 percent of polled consumers were not sure what type of fuel they used, and 20 percent did not pay attention to the type of fuel used.

Gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol (E10) can damage or destroy outdoor power equipment, including lawn mowers, chain saws, generators, utility vehicles and other small engine equipment such as motorcycle, snowmobile and boat engines. By federal law, it is illegal to use those higher ethanol fuel blends in outdoor power equipment.

“The research continues to prove that Americans are still unaware of the damage that can occur to their outdoor power equipment as a result of mis-fueling,” says Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “There are 100 million legacy outdoor power equipment products in homeowners’ garages, maintenance sheds and facilities across America. The scope of this issue is massive and shows that much more education is needed.”

The full press release from OPEI has more information.