2379 - Optimal Commuting Conditions for Experienced Well-Being

Abstract

In the UK, over 80% of the population commute; this figure, as well as the distance and duration of commutes, is increasing. A growing body of research shows that commuting is detrimental to people's subjective well-being. Understanding the complexities of this relationship is crucial. This study aims to address this by identifying the optimal commuting conditions, in terms of experienced well-being, for a range of different transport modes. We report results of analysis performed on data from the 2014-15 UK Time Use Survey (UKTUS), conducted on a representative sample of individuals and private UK households. This dataset includes time use diaries in which participants logged their activities over a 24-hour period. In total, 9,388 participants completed 16,550 diary days resulting in 587,632 activity episodes. Critically, participants rated their enjoyment of the time spent during each episode on a scale of 1 to 7; this was used as the measure of experienced well-being. Multilevel analysis was used to investigate the relationship between ratings of enjoyment and a range of commuting characteristics, including who an individual was travelling with, whether commuters were travelling during peak hours, whether they were using an electronic device and the duration of their commute. Models were built for private transport, public transport and an additional model that included all the commuting episodes. The models also included a range of variables describing the nature of commuter's work and controlled for a wide range of socio-demographic covariates. Initial results show that, out of the eight transport modes included in the study, being a passenger in a car is the most enjoyable mode of transport when commuting to/from work, followed by cycling and walking. We find that individuals travelling during the afternoon, who are self-employed, earn less than £20,800 per annum and work in positions classified as Elementary Occupations experience the most enjoyable commutes. In addition, duration of the commute, intensity of travel occurring during the commute, use of a device, travelling with a companion and whether the individual worked in the public or privet sector, were not found to significantly impact on the enjoyment of the commute. Our study shows that enjoyment of commuting varies as a function of commute type and job characteristics of a commuter. These results offer first steps towards a better understanding of the psychological and socio-economic factors that may underlie the relationship between commuting and well-being.