Life Events and Travel Behavior

Abstract

Recent research has indicated that changes in travel behavior are more likely at the time of major life events. However, much remains to be learned about the extent to which different life events trigger behavioral change and the conditions under which life events are more likely to trigger change. The UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) offers a previously unavailable opportunity to investigate this topic for a large, representative sample of the UK population. UKHLS data were also linked to local spatial data drawn from the census and other sources to elucidate the effect of the spatial context on changes to travel behavior in association with life events. Findings from an exploratory analysis of data from UKHLS Waves 1 and 2 are presented first. Transition tables demonstrate a strong association between changes in car ownership and commute mode and the following life events: employment changes, residential relocation, retirement, the birth of children, and changes in household structure. The results of logit models that relate the probability of an increase and a decrease in the number of cars owned to the occurrence of life events and that control for individual and household characteristics and spatial context are then shown. These models show, for example, that moves to urban and rural areas have contrasting effects on travel behavior and that having a new child in itself is not a significant influence on car ownership in the short term.

Effects of a Travel Behaviour Change Program on Sustainable Travel

“…Low values of R-squared estimates are found. Analogous outcomes can be found in other studies that use disaggregated travel behaviour data [75][76][77] and more recently in Clark et al [78], Liu et al [79], De Vos et al [80] and Mao et al [81]. The variables of interest in the models presented in Table 7 are those that measure the two-way (period and treatment) and three-way interactions (period, treatment and the sociodemographic characteristic considered).…”

Habit Discontinuity, Self-Activation, and the Diminishing Influence of Context Change: Evidence from the UK Understanding Society Survey

“…The habit discontinuity hypothesis has a number of implications for promoting sustainable behaviour. Contextual changes that affect transportation occur frequently [ 21 , 22 ], both from unexpected (e.g., road closures) or planned changes (e.g., moving home). But to effectively inform interventions, additional investigation is required.…”

Examining the Process of Modal Choice for Everyday Travel Among Older People

“…Having a range of alternatives from which to choose is widely considered to be beneficial for a person's well-being ( [7], pp. [33][34][35][36][37][38][39]. In terms of daily mobility, this can relate to the range of everyday activities in which a person can participate [8,9]; the time frames during which a person can participate in said activities [10,11]; and the mode(s) of transport a person can use to reach said activities [12].…”

“…A person's choice set with respect to mobility is largely considered to reduce in size in tandem with the ageing process [26,27], often as a result of declining health, reduced cognitive or physical capacity [28,29], changes in household composition (for instance, the death of a spouse) [30], or changes in personal financial circumstances [31]. For example, a person's scope for action may decrease in terms of the cognitive or physical capacity required to negotiate the environment(s) in which she moves, or a person's social capital might be diminished if her social network contracts [27,32,33]. However, the scope for action may also increase in some aspects of life as people age.…”