Car Versus Public Transportation? The Role of Social Value Orientations in a Real‐Life Social Dilemma¹

Abstract

This research evaluates the role of social value orientations (i.e., preferences for distribution of outcomes for the self and others) in decisions as how to commute. It was proposed that the commuting situation could be viewed either as an environmental issue, reflecting the decision structure of an N‐person Prisoner's Dilemma, or as an accessibility problem, reflecting the decision structure of an N‐person Chicken Dilemma. On the basis of interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978) it was predicted that people who are primarily concerned with the collective welfare—prosocial individuals—would prefer commuting by public transportation when other commuters were expected to go by public transportation. On the other hand, it was hypothesized that people who are primarily concerned with their own well‐being—proself individuals—would prefer commuting by public transportation when others were expected to go by car. The obtained findings were consistent with these expectations. Practical and theoretical implications regarding the link between social value orientations and environmentally relevant behavior will be discussed.

Engaging in Pro-Environment Travel Behaviour Research from a Psycho-Social Perspective: A Review of Behavioural Variables and Theories

“…The study of role of values as regards travel behaviour has shown that the social value orientation of cooperation is positively correlated with self-transcendent values, such as equality, social justice and solidarity [47]. Concerning their influence on travel behaviour, self-transcendence, social cooperation and eco-centrism values seem to positively correlate with a decision to favour public transport over car [48] and with a greater wish to reduce car-use [33].…”

Use of Advanced Traveler Information Systems for Route Choice: Interpretation Based on a Bayesian Model

“…On a limited road space assumption, the relationship between travelers is one of competing with each other (Bell, 2004;Bell & Cassir, 2002;Van Vugt et al, 1995;Wardrop, 1952). Many games discuss short-term cases of the famous prisoners' dilemma, in which all players would be better off if they did not act selfishly (Pedersen, 2003;Van Vugt et al, 1995), but individual travelers would then be able to improve their situation by acting selfishly.…”

“…Many games discuss short-term cases of the famous prisoners' dilemma, in which all players would be better off if they did not act selfishly (Pedersen, 2003;Van Vugt et al, 1995), but individual travelers would then be able to improve their situation by acting selfishly. Pedersen (2003) tests the hypothesis that improved safety increases the number of travelers who behave aggressively.…”

Influencia en la elección de modo de transporte de la información sobre variabilidad en el tiempo del viaje, beneficios personales y daño ambiental del coche versus transporte público

“…It is very difficult to experimentally analyze the influence of variables in the real use of a transportation mode, so the alternative that is often used is to simulate the journey through a realistic scenario (Eriksson, Friman, Ettema, Fuji, & Gärling, 2010;Eriksson, Friman, & Gärling, 2013;Van Vugt, Meertens, & Van Lange, 1995). In all the experimental conditions of our study, we initially used a hypothetical scenario that placed the participants in a setting in which the trip from home to work had similar facilities regardless of whether they used the car or the subway.…”

“…This functional nature is a crucial aspect for understanding how an attitudinal object is appraised. In this line, some authors have underscored the influence of values (Moreno, Corraliza, & Ruiz, 2007;Van Lange, Van Vugt, Meertens, & Ruiter, 1998;Van Vugt, Meertens, & Van Lange, 1995;Van Vugt, Van Lange, & Meertens, 1996), as well as of symbolic processes (such as status and social comparison), or affective and emotional processes (Gatersleben, 2007, Lois & López-Sáez, 2009Steg, 2005;Steg & Tertoolen, 1999;Steg, Vlek, & Slotegraaf, 2001).…”