Has the relationship between urban and suburban automobile travel changed across generations? Comparing Millennials and Generation Xers in the United States

Wang, Xize

doi:10.1016/j.tra.2019.08.012

Cited by 17 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…There are two tales in relation to Millennials' travel compared with other generations. The first one suggests that generation effects play a major role; there exist generational shifts in preferences and values, which explain why Millennials prefer cities and embrace transportation alternatives (i.e., use public transit, walk, bike) rather than car (7,12). The second one points to period effects; factors such as economic recessions and advance in information and communications technologies (ICTs) determine Millennials' travel outcomes (17).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Still others report that the observed decrease in driving by Millennials has not been accompanied by the expected increase in transit usage (5). Some find that Millennials tend to use active transportation and shared ride modes more often than the older generations (7,11,12). Most existing studies investigate generational travel at the national level.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Most existing studies investigate generational travel at the national level. Few have explored the spatial variation of travel by generations at the subnational scale, although some incorporate neighborhood and metropolitan built environmental variables as controls (12,13). Further research is needed to better understand Millennials' travel behavior in the interest of better informing decisions on transportation infrastructure and mobility services.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Generational Patterns of Modal Shares Across Megaregions

Zhang

2022

Transportation Research Record

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Millennials are the largest generation in the current U.S. population. Their travel preferences and choices have profound implications for the travel industry and transportation policy making. The existing literature, however, has presented mixed findings on whether Millennials differ from their preceding generations in vehicle usage, walking or biking, and transit riding. Furthermore, the majority of the existing studies investigated generational travel at the national level; few have explored the spatial variation of generational travel at the subnational scale. This study examines individuals’ modal shares in daily travel by Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers across megaregions. A unique dataset is assembled with national travel surveys from 1977 to 2017, covering the age spectrum from five years to 71 years for the three generations. The study applies multilevel modeling to capture the dynamic effects associated with generational, megaregional, and period variations on individuals’ modal share. Results of the study show the varying trends of modal shares in different life stages between generations. Millennials in adulthood maintain the highest walk/bike share and the lowest share of vehicle travel among all generations. Megaregional variations exert differentiated influences on individuals’ mode share patterns across generation subgroups. The varying trends of modal shares over the age spectrum across generations highlight the importance of having cohort-tailored initiatives to achieve sustainable transportation objectives. The study’s quantification of megaregional and generational variations on modal shares provides useful information for modal split analysis and other transportation planning practices at the level between states and metropolitan areas.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Generational Patterns of Modal Shares Across Megaregions

Zhang

2022

Transportation Research Record

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“…Compared to older adults, today's young adults (18–34 years) are less auto‐oriented in their early life stages (Delbosc and Nakanishi 2017; Wang 2019). A sustainable travel behaviour–related policy question would be whether these young adults will continue with the same travel behaviour in the later stages of their lives?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of young and older adults’ attitudes and preferences towards different travel modes and residential characteristics: A study in Hamilton, Ontario

Jamal

Newbold

Scott

2022

Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes

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Using Hamilton, Ontario as a case study, this study explores the difference between young (18–34 years) and older (65 + years) adults’ automobility behaviour (whether their most common mode of transportation was auto or not), by comparing their attitudes and preferences towards different travel modes. The study also investigates the differences in these two cohorts' attitudes and preferences towards residential characteristics since they can potentially impact travel behaviour. Exploratory analysis suggests that the difference between these two groups is marginal in terms of their attitudes towards driving. In general, young and older auto users both show similar attitudes towards different transportation modes. A similar trend has been seen for non‐auto users of young and older adults. The findings indicate young adults’ intention to shift towards an auto‐oriented culture, especially when they have a job. They also showed a preference for suburban living in the future. Older adults are mainly auto‐oriented; a small portion also seems pro‐transit. Transportation policies should consider these changing dynamics of travel behaviour among different generations. As attitudes and preferences influence travel behaviour to a greater extent, future studies should explore how attitudes and preferences can be modified to promote sustainable travel options.

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“…Similarly, Millennials tend to show different travel behaviors compared with other generational cohorts (12)(13)(14). Accordingly, recent research efforts have documented that Millennials are associated with less driving and greater use of alternative modes of transportation.…”

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confidence: 99%

Heterogeneity in Generational Effects: Case Study of Ride-hailing Behavior Among Millennials

Asgari

Gupta

Azimi

et al. 2021

Transportation Research Record

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This paper presents an investigation of the use and frequency of use of ride-hail services. In particular, we explored the role of generational effects and the heterogeneity involved in Millennials’ decision making when it comes to ride-hail choices. Using an ordered logistic regression structure, different statistical models were developed and tested, including fixed-effects and random parameter models, as well as the inclusion of interaction effects and attitudinal factors. Initial results from the fixed-effects model showed that the younger cohorts, including Millennials and Generation Z, showed a significantly positive preference for more frequent ride-hail use, whereas the older cohorts’ preferences (Generation X, Baby Boomers, and older) did not show any significant effects on ride-hail frequency. In the next step, the presence of heterogeneity among Millennials was tested using random parameters. The results confirmed that Millennials’ usage of ride-hail was heterogeneous, and this was statistically significant at the 90% confidence interval [Formula: see text]. To identify sources of heterogeneity, interaction effects were added to the model. Accordingly, use of ride-hail was more popular among middle-aged Millennials (30 to 34 years old) and Millennials with higher incomes. Likewise, attitudes such as cost sensitivity (toward private vehicle ownership), and being a rational user resulted in higher frequency ride-hail use across Millennials. On the contrary, unemployed Millennials were less likely to utilize ride-hail. The results from this study provide a more transparent picture of current ride-hail market segmentation, which could help predict the future market comprising autonomous vehicles and other emerging mobility options.

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Has the relationship between urban and suburban automobile travel changed across generations? Comparing Millennials and Generation Xers in the United States

Cited by 17 publications

References 31 publications

Generational Patterns of Modal Shares Across Megaregions

Generational Patterns of Modal Shares Across Megaregions

A comparison of young and older adults’ attitudes and preferences towards different travel modes and residential characteristics: A study in Hamilton, Ontario

Heterogeneity in Generational Effects: Case Study of Ride-hailing Behavior Among Millennials

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