Households with every member out-of-home (HEMO): Comparison using the 1984, 1997, and 2012 household travel surveys in Kumamoto, Japan

Abstract

Most existing studies using household travel surveys have focused on travel behavior; however, this study demonstrates another use: examining the temporal profile of households with every member out-of-home (HEMO). Because a household travel survey records all trips by each member of a household, the calculation of HEMO is not a difficult task; however, few studies have empirically shown the temporal profile of HEMO rates. This study calculated the HEMO and individual out-of-home (IO) rates using a household travel survey, also known as the Person Trip (PT) survey in Japan. Specifically, we compared these rates using the Kumamoto PT surveys in 1984, 1997, and 2012 and discussed the factors for change using a novel method to decompose the change in HEMO. The results showed that the HEMO rate has increased considerably, although there was no major change in the IO rate over 28 years. Decomposition analysis revealed that the increase in HEMO is mainly attributed to an increase in single-person households and active seniors, and a decrease in household size.