The effect of trust in neighbourhood on parents' decision to drive their children to school: Insights from a hybrid choice model

The growing trend of children being driven to school has become a cause of concern in developed countries, with parents' perception of trust in neighborhoods emerging as a key determinant. Previous research has mainly investigated the influence of either the mother's or the father's perception on children's school travel. While the contribution of each parent's perception to the final decision, and the factors affecting this contribution, remains unclear. This study leverages data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to examine the distinct roles of mothers' and fathers' perceptions of trust in the neighborhood on their children's school travel mode. It proposes a hybrid choice model (HCM) to measure the contribution of each parent's perception as a function of their socio-economic status (SES) in the school travel mode decision. The results indicate that a higher parental perception of trust in the neighborhood significantly reduces the likelihood of using private car to take children to school. The study also identifies several factors that influence parental perception of trust, highlighting differing impacts on mothers and fathers. Neighborhood SES has a more pronounced positive impact on mothers’ perceptions of trust, whereas homeownership and urban residency exhibit stronger effects on fathers' perceptions. The analysis further delineates the contribution of individual parents to the overall parental perception of trust, demonstrating that higher levels of income decrease this contribution. This study highlights the significant role of parental perception of neighborhood trust in children's school travel mode, with both mothers' and fathers' perceptions playing crucial roles. Neighborhood SES, homeownership, urban residence, and ethnic diversity shape parents' perceptions, with differing effects on mothers and fathers. Future policy initiatives should focus on fostering trust and social inclusion through community events, multicultural programs, and social activities to enhance neighborhood cohesion and support sustainable school travel choices.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2024.101934
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140524001804
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/22141405
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Shoabjareh, Azamsadat Hosseini
  • 0000-0002-6623-4374
  • Ghasri, Milad
  • 0000-0002-8726-8979
• Publication Date: 2024-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 101934
• Serial:
  • Journal of Transport & Health
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 2214-1405
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22141405

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Mode choice; Neighborhoods; Parents; School trips; Walking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01937000
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 15 2024 11:01AM