Campus relocation as a natural experiment to investigate the determinants of commuting satisfaction

Abstract

A growing body of research has been devoted to studying factors associated with commuting satisfaction, but few studies have examined the causal relationship between them. Opening a new university campus, a typical case of workplace relocation, provides a natural experiment opportunity to study the causal relationship between commuting satisfaction and its determinants. We conducted a retrospective survey of staff at a university in Hangzhou, China, where a campus relocation occurred, assessed the changes in commuting characteristics and satisfaction before and after the relocation, and investigated the determinants of the change in commuting satisfaction using ordered logistic regression. The findings indicate that commuting satisfaction generally decreases after outward campus relocation. The determinants of commuting satisfaction include commuting time, frequency, mode availability, mode preference, travel attitudes, and socioeconomic attributes. Commuting mode availability negatively impacts commuting satisfaction. Primary commuting mode preference fully mediates the impact of primary commuting mode on commuting satisfaction. We offered suggestions for transportation policy and planning to improve commuting satisfaction.