The Effect of Students’ Car Access and Car use Habits on Student Behavior to Reduce using Cars for Traveling to Campus

Abstract

This study reports an investigation of psychological factors influencing student behavior to reduce using cars for traveling to campus from the perspective of the Norm Activation Model, with the addition of students’ car access, and car use habits for traveling to campus. Students from three different university campuses completed a survey on their car commuting behavior. Results indicated that a car use habit, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility explain 63% variance of personal norm. Personal norms explain 47% variance of the behavioral intention. In turn, behavioral intention, car use habit, and car access explains 54% of the variance of actual car use. A car use habit and ascription of responsibility were the strongest factors that influence personal norms, and car use habit was the strongest factors that influence actual car use behavior, while car access significantly influence car use habit and actual car use behavior. Implications of these findings are that in order to alter the use of car, universities should implement both structural and psychological intervention. To be effective interventions should be design to removing opportunities for enactment of car use habit, also to enhance the sense of responsibility towards the negative impact of car use.