The role of culture and evolving attitudes in travel behaviour assimilation among south asian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

A range of studies have found that immigrants generally start out using different travel modes but over time they ‘assimilate’ toward adopting similar travel modes to the general population. These studies tend to focus on ‘when’ and ‘if’ travel assimilation occurs, with some studies using socioeconomic factors to explain ‘why’ this occurs. But few studies have explored the role of culture, attitudes and other ‘soft’ factors in shaping the process of travel assimilation among immigrants. In Australia, South Asians have been the largest and fastest growing immigrant group, and as skilled migrants they face few ‘hard’ barriers to car use. The aim of this paper is to explore the interaction between cultural influences, attitudes and initial travel experiences upon arrival in Australia on long-term travel assimilation amongst South Asian immigrants. Qualitative interviews with 20 South Asian immigrants were used to identify a range of cultural and psychosocial factors, such as perceptions towards travel modes and gender-based cultural norms. Attitudes and behaviours evolve during their early years in Australia, beginning with a ‘honeymoon period’ – a phase where all travel modes are seen as positive – before car use begins to dominate. The findings have implications for how we understand the interactions between attitudes, cultural practice and travel behaviour and how they evolve over time. They also imply that policymakers have only a narrow window of time to encourage sustainable transport among South Asian immigrants before the travel ‘honeymoon period’ wears off.

The commuting behavior and perception correlates of commuting trips: a comparative study on the Egyptian and migrant populations in Cairo and Alexandria

“…The perceived subjective variables related to public transport are presented in Figure 2. A study on immigrants in Australia revealed that immigrants usually have a positive perception towards public transit in the country of immigration [39]. This supports the findings primarily revealed by [33], [37] which highlight the role of the duration of the immigrants' stay in the country of immigration on commuting time and distance, as mentioned earlier .…”

“…On the other hand, the findings of [41], proved that individuals may not necessarily link well-lit zones with improved feelings of personal safety because well-lit areas may allow thieves to see them more easily. Given that most of the migrants group sample are Syrians, and the influx of most Syrians initiated during 2011, hence, they are currently commencing the second decade of their stay as immigrants and as underscored by the previously mentioned studies, after the second decade, non-natives' commuting determinants and perceptions are expected to shift towards longer commuting distances and negative perceptions [33], [37], [39].…”

Study on the analysis of travel behavior: A review

“…The characteristics of the general populace's social demographics, such as their ethnicity, gender, status in life, place of employment, and level of education, are closely related to these characteristics. The activity is based on several goals, such as those for work, education, shopping, and recreation [3] A sustainable urban transportation system possesses the capability to facilitate the expansion and seamless operation of local, national, and regional economies. Among the most formidable challenges encountered by major cities in establishing sustainable transportation systems are the rapid increase in population and the escalating rates of car ownership [4] The demand for transportation services is experiencing a notable and substantial increase across a majority of cities worldwide [5] So planning and policies are needed to overcome the high number of requests where to reduce urban mobility such as congestion, accidents, air pollution and noise [6] Enhancing the advancement of transportation infrastructure and services entails a requisite for research focused on long-term travel patterns and travel behavior.…”