EXPLORING THE POSITIVE UTILITY OF TRAVEL AND MODE CHOICE Final Report NITC-DIS-1005 by Patrick A. Singleton Portland State University for National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 July 2017 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. NITC-DIS-1005 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Exploring the Positive Utility of Travel and Mode Choice July 2017 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Patrick A. Singleton 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Portland State University 11. Contract or Grant No. 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) P.O. Box 751 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Portland, Oregon 97207 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract Why do people travel? Underlying most travel behavior research is the derived-demand paradigm of travel analysis, which assumes that travel demand is derived from the demand for spatially separated activities, traveling is a means to an end (reaching destinations), and travel time is a disutility to be minimized. In contrast, the “positive utility of travel” (PUT) concept suggests that travel may not be inherently disliked and could instead provide benefits or be motivated by desires for travel-based multitasking, positive emotions, or fulfillment. The PUT idea assembles several concepts relevant to travel behavior: utility maximization, motivation theory, multitasking, and subjective well-being. Despite these varied influences, empirical analyses of the PUT concept remain limited in both quantity and scope. There is a need for more fundamental development and classification of the PUT idea and its multifaceted nature. The wide variety and quality of ways to measure PUT attributes are further research challenges. Additionally, few studies investigate both major aspects of the PUT concept—travel activities and travel experiences—simultaneously. Finally, research is only beginning to examine empirical associations between PUT measures and travel behaviors such as mode choice. This dissertation addresses many of these gaps in conceptualizing, measuring, and modeling the PUT concept. First, a literature review strengthens the definition, classification, and empirical support for a PUT, defined as “any benefit(s) accruing to a traveler through the act of traveling.” The two primary PUT categories are travel activities (travel-based multitasking) and travel experiences (travel subjective well-being), and the most useful PUT measures involve gathering self-reported assessments of these topics. Based on this review, an online questionnaire is designed and administered to nearly 700 commuters in the Portland, OR, region. The survey includes detailed questions about commute mode choice, activity participation, travel usefulness, positive emotions and fulfillment, and travel liking for a recent home-to-work trip. Next, these PUT measures are empirically examined using factor analyses, finding groupings of activities and common unobserved constructs of hedonic (“Distress,” “Fear,” “Attentiveness,” “Enjoyment”) and eudaimonic (“Security,” “Autonomy,” “Confidence”, “Health”) subjective well-being. Many of these factors exhibit large variations among travel modes—walking and bicycling commuters are the most satisfied and appear to value time spent exercising—and are predicted (somewhat less strongly) by other trip and traveler characteristics in ordered logit regression and structural equation models. Finally, integrated choice and latent variable models are estimated to examine relationships between measures of the PUT concept and commute mode choice. This is made possible by the unique dataset that collects PUT measures for not only the chosen mode but also modal alternatives. Measures of travel-based multitasking are significantly related to mode choice, suggesting people may be doing things more to pass the time than to be productive. A validated measure of travel subjective well-being is also a significant and positive factor, suggesting people are more likely to choose a mode that makes them happier. Overall, PUT measures greatly increase the explanatory power of the mode choice model. These findings make significant contributions to travel behavior research methods and knowledge. They also offer important implications for transportation policies around promoting nonautomobile travel and planning for autonomous vehicles. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Positive utility of travel, travel behavior, mode choice, multitasking, well-being No restrictions. Copies available from NITC: www.nitc-utc.net 19. Security Classification (of this report) 20. Security Classification (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 417 i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was partially supported by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) under grant number (1005) and the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) under grant numbers DTFH6415G00003 and DTFH6416G00026. DISCLAIMER The contents of this report reflect the views of the author, who is solely responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the material and information presented herein. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers Program and the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. RECOMMENDED CITATION Singleton, Patrick A. Exploring the Positive Utility of Travel and Mode Choice. NITC-DIS-1005. Portland, OR: Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC), 2017. iii Exploring the Positive Utility of Travel and Mode Choice by Patrick Allen Singleton A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil and Environmental Engineering Dissertation Committee: Kelly J. Clifton, Chair Jennifer Dill Liming Wang Cynthia D. Mohr Portland State University 2017 © 2017 Patrick Allen Singleton Abstract Why do people travel? Underlying most travel behavior research is the derived- demand paradigm of travel analysis, which assumes that travel demand is derived from the demand for spatially separated activities, traveling is a means to an end (reaching destinations), and travel time is a disutility to be minimized. In contrast, the “positive utility of travel” (PUT) concept suggests that travel may not be inherently disliked and could instead provide benefits or be motivated by desires for travel-based multitasking, positive emotions, or fulfillment. The PUT idea assembles several concepts relevant to travel behavior: utility maximization, motivation theory, multitasking, and subjective well-being. Despite these varied influences, empirical analyses of the PUT concept remain limited in both quantity and scope. There is a need for more fundamental development and classification of the PUT idea and its multifaceted nature. The wide variety and quality of ways to measure PUT attributes are further research challenges. Additionally, few studies investigate both major aspects of the PUT concept—travel activities and travel experiences—simultaneously. Finally, research is only beginning to examine empirical associations between PUT measures and travel behaviors such as mode choice. This dissertation addresses many of these gaps in conceptualizing, measuring, and modeling the PUT concept. First, a literature review strengthens the definition, classification, and empirical support for a PUT, defined as “any benefit(s) accruing to a traveler through the act of traveling.” The two primary PUT categories are travel activities (travel-based multitasking) and travel experiences (travel subjective well-being), and the most useful PUT measures involve gathering self-reported assessments of these topics. Based on this i review, an online questionnaire is designed and administered to nearly 700 commuters in the Portland, OR, region. The survey includes detailed questions about commute mode choice, activity participation, travel usefulness, positive emotions and fulfillment, and travel liking for a recent home-to-work trip. Next, these PUT measures are empirically examined using factor analyses, finding groupings of activities and common unobserved constructs of hedonic (“Distress,” “Fear,” “Attentiveness,” “Enjoyment”) and eudaimonic (“Security,” “Autonomy,” “Confidence”, “Health”) subjective well-being. Many of these factors exhibit large variations among travel modes—walking and bicycling commuters are the most satisfied and appear to value time spent exercising—and are predicted (somewhat less strongly) by other trip and traveler characteristics in ordered logit regression and structural equation models. Finally, integrated choice and latent variable models are estimated to examine relationships between measures of the PUT concept and commute mode choice. This is made possible by the unique dataset that collects PUT measures for not only the chosen mode but also modal alternatives. Measures of travel-based multitasking are significantly related to mode choice, suggesting people may be doing things more