The interaction between activity choice and duration: Application of Copula-based and Nested-logit models

Abstract

There is a relationship between choosing an activity and duration of that activity, especially for non-mandatory ones. Some previous studies have analyzed the decisions about an activity type and duration independently, though some others have used joint models. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge through using Nested-logit and Copula-based models for assessing the existence of interdependency or a hierarchy between non-mandatory activity choice and the relative duration. In the Nested-logit model, it is assumed that error terms of these decisions are interrelated, though one is influenced by another. In contrast, the Copula-based model can accommodate spatial error correlation across observational units without imposing a restrictive distribution assumption on the dependency structures between the error components. The data from Qazvin, a city in Iran, are used for estimating both Nested-logit and Copula-based models and the best variables explaining both choices for each model have been selected. The final models were compared in terms of log-likelihood at convergence and adjusted likelihood ratio index. The results indicated that there are some common influential observed and unobserved factors between these decisions. Also, Copula-based joint model with ρ 0 2 equals to 0.134 outperforms Nested-logit models and provides a better explanatory power.

Dependence analysis of social contact behaviors under the impacts of COVID-19 based on a copula approach

“…To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that the copula approach has been applied to research on social contacts. Drawing on previous studies ( Meloni et al, 2011 ; Jafari Shahdani et al, 2021 ; Keya et al, 2019 ), the joint representation of social contact mode choices and the number of contacted persons is described below.…”

Comparing the Effect of Lifestyle, Travel and Residential Attitudes on Male and Female Commute Mode Choice

“…Further, few attempts have been made to perform behavioral comparison of men and women concerning the role of variables such as land-use, lifestyle, and attitudes of individuals [31]. Generally, in most countries, these studies are very limited [38,39] and don't consider any gender differences too [40,41], except for USA [42]. Therefore, the third and main goal of present study is to investigate the behavioral differences between men and women in choosing personal vehicle as mode of transport.…”