Ambivalent about travel mode choice? A qualitative investigation of car user and non-car user attitudes

Abstract

• Semi-structured in-depth interviews explored attitudinal complexity of above-average mileage car users and non-car users. • Thematic analysis revealed attitudinal ambivalence and context-dependent variability of transport-relevant evaluations. • Identified specific situations in which ambivalence is salient. • Highlighted the complexity of aspects of transport convenience and inconvenience. • Findings suggest that specific survey questions may be prone to ambiguity. Attitudes towards travel mode choice have been regarded as bi-polar evaluations of travel options that remain stable across time and context. Intra-personal attitudes can be variable, becoming more or less salient and changing in strength or valence across decisional contexts. This study draws on theoretical underpinnings of attitudinal ambivalence, which proposes that a person can hold two-dimensional (negative and positive) evaluations about one attitude object simultaneously. The present research aimed to explore attitudinal ambivalence in relation to travel modes and examine the variability of attitudes in different contexts. Thirty semi-structured interviews explored above-average mileage car users’ (n = 15) and non-car users’ (n = 15) experiences of attitudinal ambivalence in relation to various transport modes and under which circumstances. Thematic analysis found support for attitudinal ambivalence and context-dependent attitude variability in relation to travel mode evaluations. Discussions of an a priori questionnaire confirmed the malleability of transport-relevant attitudes. Transport-relevant attitudes are complex and ambivalent. Attitudinal ambivalence and context-dependent attitude variability has implications for transport research design, interventions targeting travel-related attitudes and policies aimed to reduce single-occupancy driving.