Destabilising automobility? The emergent mobilities of generation Y

Abstract

This paper uses empirical material gathered with young adults in New Zealand to examine a potential sustainability transition-in-practice. It draws from two frameworks; the actorcentred Energy Cultures Framework to explore mobility behaviours, and the multi-level perspective (MLP) to situate behaviour change within the socio-technical transitions literature. The MLP has traditionally been used to analyse historical transitions (e.g. from the horse and cart to the motor vehicle), but in this paper, it is used to explore an on-going change trend; the emergent mobilities of young adults who appear to be aspiring for different types of mobility. A series of mobility trends are described, which emerged from a programme of qualitative interviews (n=51). The material culture, norms and practices that constitute these trends are articulated. These are then considered through the lens of the MLP. The evidence points to emergent trends of multimodality that, if leveraged upon and supported, could contribute to a systemic sustainability transition.

Sustainability and Mountain Tourism: The Millennial’s Perspective

“…the results show a high level of preparation and awareness about the meaning of sustainability, as argued by several authors [41][42][43]. Furthermore, findings confirm that the behaviour of Millennials is driven by sustainability principles [44][45][46]57,58]. Compared to evidence reported by literature [48], there are no significant differences in female and male purchasing behaviours, since both are particularly sensitive to sustainable products.…”

“…Concluding, all studies on Millennials and sustainability agree that Millennials are more likely to behave consistently with sustainability principles [44][45][46]57], and also in decisions concerning purchases [58].…”

“…However, a recent study argues that higher education institutes have not as yet realised their full potential to prepare Millennials to be environmentally responsible citizens [44]. Some studies covered topics related to urban choices, i.e., mobility behaviour [45], the preference shown by college graduates for any particular urban service [44], analysis of urban and suburban policies to meet the demand for walkable and car-free neighbourhoods [46]. Others explore attitudes towards diet, i.e., Millennial interactions with dietary supplements, functional food and the beverage marketplace [47], and their attitude to sustainable wine [48].…”

The Millennials’ Concept of Sustainability in the Food Sector

“…In literature, several studies analyze the relation between Millennials and the meaning of sustainability. Sometimes authors highlight the Millennials' knowledge of ecology principles and their adoption in consumption and lifestyle [84][85][86][87][88]. In other cases, Millennials are investigated to assess their interaction by ICT, e.g., the assessment of computer games to reach the triple bottom line [89,90] or their attitude towards sustainability and information technologies [91].…”

Exploring the expectations of transport professionals concerning the future automobility system: Visions, challenges, and transitions

“…In this context, reference was often made to recent trends concerning reductions in car travel and car driving license attainment in young adults observed across different economically developed nations (Kuhnimhof et al, 2012;Hopkins, 2016b). One participant expressed a view that opinions towards cars among young adults appear to be shifting, with less social requirement seemingly being placed on car ownership:…”