Formative Research on Promoting Car-Free Youth Transportation

Abstract

Car accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. 10- to 24-year-olds (CDC, 2018). Motivating youth to drive less by choosing car-free mobility may reduce fatalities and contribute to positive environmental impact. Yet, little is known about how youth perceive car-free transportation or what may motivate them to choose it more often. Results from focus groups analyzed through the lens of the theory of planned behavior explore youth perceptions and experiences about car-free transportation. Perceived effectiveness of car-free messages also is presented. This study contributes to understandings of the theoretical underpinnings of an understudied area of public interest communications. Practical recommendations for strategic communication with youth about car-free transportation include appealing to their agency and autonomy and reinforcing their safety.

It’s Good for Me

“…The results of this study provide a foundation for further research investigating advertising effectiveness from the lens of the moral development theoretical perspective and show that this perspective should be taken into consideration when designing health messages. As formative research, this study also contributes valuably to literature in the field of PIC, since it is imperative that PIC campaigns are evidence-based (Fessmann, 2016), and, as pointed out by Shafer and Macary (2020), "formative research seeks to understand a public, its experiences, needs, and preferences to shape the social change strategic campaign rather than imposing the beliefs of an organization onto a public" (p. 39). Further, the introduction of a new theoretical concept to health campaigns accomplishes one of the considerations proposed by Downes (2017) for building positive social change through PIC-interdisciplinary scholarship, which can bring about "a rich, inclusive formula for promoting and moving the [PIC] field forward" (p. 33).…”