Transportation Insecurity in the United States: A Descriptive Portrait

Abstract

Transportation insecurity is a condition in which a person is unable to regularly move from place to place in a safe or timely manner and has important implications for the study of poverty and inequality. Drawing on nationally representative survey data and a new, validated measure of transportation insecurity, the Transportation Security Index, the authors provide the first descriptive portrait of transportation insecurity in the United States, offering national estimates, examining which demographic groups are most likely to experience this condition and considering what factors are correlated with it. The authors find that one in four adults experience transportation insecurity. Adults who live in poverty, do not own cars, live in urban areas, are younger, have less education, and are non-White experience the greatest transportation insecurity. Correlates analyses largely confirm these descriptive differences. Such high rates and large disparities suggest that greater investigation into this form of material hardship is warranted.

The Effects of Income on the Economic Wellbeing of Families with Low Incomes: Evidence from the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit

“…Lastly, we study a single transportation insecurity item that asks respondents if they missed an appointment, skipped going somewhere, or missed work due to lack of transportation. Transportation insecurity is rarely considered as a measure of material hardship, but recent work suggests it is a commonly experienced hardship (Murphy et al, 2022).…”

“…This question asks respondents (about the last 30 days) if they "missed an appointment, skipped going somewhere, or missed work because you didn't have a way to get there". Transportation hardship is rarely included in measures of material hardship but new work suggests that 24% of adults experience transportation insecurity, with rates that are closer to 50% among lower income households (Murphy et al, 2022); thus, we added this measure to our suite of hardship indicators. However, we note, this one-item measure likely does not fully capture the likelihood of experiencing transportation insecurity.…”

In the driver’s seat: Pathways to automobile ownership for lower-income households in the United States

“…Consequently, access to a car is associated with better employment outcomes and improved access to food, healthcare, and activities compared with conditions for those who do not have cars (Bastiaanssen, Johnson, and Lucas 2020;Syed, Gerber, and Sharp 2013;Morris, Blumenberg, and Guerra 2020). Households with cars are also less likely to experience transportation insecurity, i.e., being unable to reliably and regularly travel to destinations (Murphy et al 2022) In this context, low-income households in auto-dependent neighborhoods may find it necessary to obtain a car. This type of transport poverty, when lower incomes combine with living in areas where car ownership seems like the only option, is often called "forced car ownership."…”

Household income differentiates quantity and quality of shared spousal time.

“…In addition, they are often asked to work shifts with little notice, which disrupts the time that they were going to spend with family members and often requires a stressful and time-consuming search for available childcare (Carrillo et al, 2017; Lambert, 2008). Low-income individuals are also more likely to use public transportation than higher earning individuals and have longer commutes to work (Anderson, 2016; Murphy et al, 2022; Roy et al, 2004). The time that low-income individuals spend dealing with these demands and stressors is time that is no longer available to spend with their spouse.…”