Investigation of Subjective Well-Being, Travel, Built Environment, and Attitudes: A Random-Parameters Ordered Choice Modeling Approach

This study presents findings of an ordered choice model that explores the relationships between subjective well-being (SWB) and travel behaviour. With data from a survey of residents of Nova Scotia, Canada, it develops a random-parameters ordered probit model for the impacts of travel behaviour characteristics and activeness on SWB. The approach extends current research by including built environment and attitudinal variables in the model, and by observing heterogeneous effects of variables at the individual level. The study results reinforce theoretical suggestions that daily travel has a positive impact on SWB by facilitating access to fulfilling daily activities such as work and social events, and that doing more daily travel and having greater access to varied modes of transportation improve SWB. Results also offer evidence that being physically active positively affects SWB, living in a denser neighbourhood or further away from a park is negatively related to SWB, and being community-minded is positively related to SWB.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD50 Standing Committee on Environmental Justice in Transportation.
• Authors:
  • McCarthy, Stephen
  • Habib, Muhammad Ahsanul
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Built environment; Choice models; Nonmotorized transportation; Quality of life; Travel behavior
• Uncontrolled Terms: Well being
• Geographic Terms: Nova Scotia
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01658076
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-05015
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 26 2018 9:47AM