Satisfaction from satisficing: Understanding commuters' satisficing tendencies

Abstract

Satisficing is the tendency to make ‘good enough’ decisions. Consumers tend to satisfice when making routine decisions (e.g., grocery shopping). Commuters also make routine decisions about their daily commute. Our goals were to investigate whether, like consumers, commuters tend to satisfice when deciding to use the modes they typically use for commuting and to understand the psychological and travel characteristics that distinguish commuters with strong from those with weak tendencies to satisfice. A sample of New Zealand commuters (n = 313) completed an online questionnaire measuring their satisficing scores, psychological and travel characteristics. A factor analysis revealed two measures of satisficing such that commuters may satisfice when deciding to use (decision-satisficing) and when using (behaviour-satisficing) their usual modes for their daily commute. Commuters tend to satisfice when deciding to use modes that they use frequently (usual modes) compared to modes that they use infrequently (alternative modes). Commuters with high satisficing tendencies (decision and behaviour) tend to be more positive and more satisfied with their usual-mode commutes compared to commuters with low satisficing tendencies. Cyclists had the strongest decision-satisficing tendencies while solo drivers had the weakest decision-satisficing tendencies. We demonstrated that commuters do satisfice during their daily commutes and there are some differences between high- and low-satisficing commuters. Mode-shift interventions could target commuters' satisficing decision-making strategy to encourage the use of sustainable modes.