Widening the gap? Evidence from Germany for changes in the attitude behaviour gap for transportation during COVID-19

Authors

Kerstin Nolte
Kerstin J. Schaefer

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2024

Subject Area

place - europe, ridership - attitudes, ridership - behaviour, ridership - mode choice, planning - surveys, policy - equity, policy - sustainable

Keywords

Attitude behaviour gap, Crisis, COVID-19, Mobility, Transportation mode choice, Sustainable consumption

Abstract

Transportation is a main contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. For a sustainable transformation, consumers play a crucial role. While sustainability gains importance and is reflected in consumers' attitudes, consumers' behaviour does not always align with their sustainability attitudes - a discrepancy called the attitude behaviour gap. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted people's daily lives and transport choices, potentially altering their attitude behaviour gap. Thus, the pandemic presents a unique opportunity to understand how crises and disruptions can lead to changes in the alignment between sustainable intentions and actions. Using local survey data from Germany, we identify socio-economic factors and transport infrastructure as key contributors to misalignments between attitudes and behaviour. Notably, during the pandemic, this gap widened, particularly among women and those with children, increasing inequalities among different socio-economic groups. This highlights the need for tailored policies to address the distinct mobility needs of these groups to allow them to act according to their attitudes and counteract increasing inequalities. Moreover, our findings underscore the importance of transitioning from individual motorized transport to public and more active modes of transport. This transition is particularly crucial in the German context, where levels of individual motorized transport are exceptionally high.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Journal of Transport Geography home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09666923

Recommended Citation

Nolte, K., & Schaefer, K. J. (2024). Widening the gap? Evidence from Germany for changes in the attitude behaviour gap for transportation during COVID-19. Journal of Transport Geography, 118, 103940.