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Title:

The Role of the Internet in Shaping Young Adults’ Attitude, Travel Choices and Sustainable Lifestyles: A Longitudinal Perspective

Accession Number:

01627698

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

Young people’s mobility behavior and its association with ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) usage have been massively researched. Few studies, however, have considered the impacts of past ICT usage on young people’s current travel patterns. This study contributes a novel analysis by exploring the effects of past habits of Internet usage in adolescence on young adults’ sustainable travel choices, with consideration of the intermediary effects caused by their environmental attitude. Pro-environmental behavior is also modeled to assess the overall sustainability of their lifestyles. Based on the 2004 British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the Understanding Society survey (Wave 4, 2012/14), structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the complex interrelationships among young adults’ Internet usage (past and current), travel choices, environmental attitude and behavior. The findings reveal that young adults with high-frequent Internet use tend to have more sustainable travel patterns (e.g. less car use and more use of public transport) and a more positive attitude to the environment, and behave in a more environmentally friendly way. Such Internet-induced effects on travel choices and pro-environmental behavior are even more pronounced for the experienced heavy users – i.e. those who keep the heavy Internet use habit formed in their early years. Their environmental attitude, which is profoundly shaped by their long-term exposure to the Internet, indirectly and greatly contributes to the effect of the Internet as a mediator on their choices and behavior.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADB20 Standing Committee on Effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on Travel Choices.

Monograph Accession #:

01618707

Report/Paper Numbers:

17-04037

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Wu, Guoqiang
Hong, Jinhyun
Thakuriah, Piyushimita Vonu

Pagination:

24p

Publication Date:

2017

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; References; Tables

Subject Areas:

Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2017 Paper #17-04037

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 8 2016 11:32AM