Americans Call For A July 3-5 Gas Boycott To Drive Down Prices

Americans are calling for a gas boycott to help drive down the prices at the pumps that have skyrocketed across the country over the last few months.

The boycott, which is spreading on social media, is slated for July 3 to 5. Organizers are asking Americans nationwide not to buy gas on these dates as part of an effort to stop price gouging.

The boycott comes after gas prices that topped $5 a gallon nationwide have cooled, slipping just under that threshold on Monday to a national average of $4.981 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The high demand for gas caused by the peak summer travel season, coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war and inflation, have pushed the price of gas up, which some experts predict could hit a $6 a gallon national average by the end of summer.

The extra high gas prices are pinching drivers, and many are fed up with paying the exurbanite prices at the pump, so much so that they have organized a boycott against buying gas around the busy Fourth of July holiday.

Several people on Twitter have called out to others to join the boycott, saying that “the more people that do the better chance we have at lowering the price.”

But would a gas boycott actually work to lower gas prices? Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at gas tracker site GasBuddy, doesn’t think so.

“I’ve never seen a gas boycott result in anything," he told Money, “Simply shifting demand one day before or after the boycott doesn’t reduce demand enough to make any difference.”

De Haan added that it would take a sustained reduction in consumption over the course of weeks to reduce demand enough to make a significant impact on gas prices.

As of Monday, crude oil was trading at $109 a barrel, according to OilPrice.com.