Calculate the price elasticity of demand for gasoline implied by what most studies have found.

Why the tepid response to higher gasoline prices?

Most studies report that when U.S. gasoline prices rise by 10 percent, the quantity purchased falls by 1 to 2 percent. In September 2005, the retail gasoline price was $2.90 a gallon, about $1.00 higher than in September 2004, but purchases of gasoline fell by only 3.5 percent.