"Prefer ... to" vs. "prefer ... rather than"

Question

Can we use "prefer" and "rather than" together? E.g.,

I prefer walking rather than driving.

Answer 1

It is grammatical and idiomatic, but not overly common, according to both the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and the British National Corpus (BNC):

                           COCA      BNC
[prefer] * to.[II]          268      151
[prefer] * over             121        5
[prefer] * rather than       16        5

• Many myths and misconceptions exist that prevent directors from actively recruiting older adults into choral programs. Some people believe that older adults are frail, have no desire or capacity for musical learning or relearning, prefer passive rather than active involvement, and prefer sedate musical styles over others.
  Music Educators Journal, 1992

• Even for advocates who prefer persuasion rather than sanctions, the rules and laws are powerful currency in an argument.
  Generations, Vol 19 Issue 4, 1995

• Jim Jordan, by 48 percent to 39 percent, the same Wall Street Journal-NBC poll says American prefer Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress, but does that number really mean anything?
  NPR Sunday, 2005

• Classic and Contemporary Readings (Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell, 1997), especially the essays of David C. Steinmetz (although he prefers medieval rather than patristic exegesis) and David Yeago.
  Church History, Vol 71 Issue 3, 2002

• Being two people with low demand for hot water, we preferred this rather than a thermostat, and with the switch set to "off" most of the time, we save 30 percent or more on our monthly electric bill.
  Town and Country, Vol 161, 2007

• He is just, I suppose, primus inter pares, as a Prime Minister, and erm that's [pause] it is, as we've both said, the next hundred days or so that you will probably see the real John Major. [SP:PS5VN] Yes, we all know that he prefers consensus rather than confrontation and I suppose maybe because he has that kind of style he might be just what the doctor ordered for the nineties.
  SPOKEN, Bill Heine radio phone-in (1985–1994)

Emphasis added.