Change in long-distance travel: uncovering travel activity trends, inequalities, and dynamics over the life course

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Joachim Scheiner
• Subject Area: City Planning, Spatial Planning, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Landscape Planning
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 404319843

Long-distance travel (LDT) and air travel are increasingly relevant in terms of transport volume and GHG emissions, which arguably calls for travel demand management. The ongoing first phase of the project has provided evidence of on how international migration, spatial stretching of social networks and early socialisation to travel contribute to the growth and ‘institutionalisation’ of LDT. However, there remain several gaps in our understanding of how LDT changes over time. To address this, we plan a second phase of the project that will pursue four research objectives: i) to track changes in levels of travel activity and patterns of socioeconomic inequality in participation to LDT; ii) to identify the determinants of changes in air travel over individual life courses; iii) to document changes in patterns of association between LDT, air travel and their individual-level determinants over time; iv) to improve our understanding of the spatial determinants of air travel, with the most recent data available. Methodologically, the project will consist of secondary quantitative analysis of nationally representative datasets that were released since the first phase of the project was funded. Unique panel data for the UK will allow us to investigate air travel behaviour at two points in individual life courses (2013 and 2019). Repeated cross-sectional data for Germany (2002, 2008, 2017) will allow us to document how the levels, inequality, and determinants of LDT behaviour changed over time, as well as providing unique, fine-grained geographical information on respondents’ residential location (for 2017). Data analysis techniques will include bivariate trend analysis, multivariate regression and estimation of inequality metrics. We will conclude by highlighting the implications of our findings for future LDT trends, for travel demand- and emission-modelling, and for contemporary debates on sustainable transport and climate policy.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Giulio Mattioli