01663691

Component

Fueled by the uptake of smartphones and other mobile technologies, “Gamification” or the use of game elements in non-game contexts is gaining interest to engage respondents and counteract declining participation in travel surveys. Gamification has been widely studied in the fields of education, marketing, and sports but has yet to be evaluated in a travel survey context. Particularly, evidence on its influence on travel survey participation remains underexplored. This paper then aims to understand how individual characteristics such as gender, age, income, gaming experience, and smartphone ownership impact participation in a gamified smartphone travel survey. Through an online survey (n=432), this paper finds that Australians who are under 30 years old and who belong in a median income earning household are more than 3 times likely to complete a gamified travel survey using their own smartphone than those who are over 30 years old and those who have income below $20,000, respectively. This finding suggests that gamifying travel surveys could appeal to younger participants who are difficult to reach using traditional surveys. Similarly, habitual gamers who play smartphone games several times per day have higher propensity to participate than those who have never engaged in any smartphone game. There is also evidence of significant difference in the gender and age composition of smartphone owners and non-smartphone owners, which suggests that some level of selection bias could arise between the two groups with the launch of a gamified version. The outcome of this paper contributes to the knowledge that informs the future design, practical applications, and implication of gamified smartphone travel surveys.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABJ40 Standing Committee on Travel Survey Methods.

18-06203

English

7p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Public participation; Smartphones; Travel surveys

Gamification

Australia

Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General)

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-06203

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:36AM