The effect of transportation and safety attitudes, personality, and lifestyle on vehicle type choice: a case study of Tehran

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have paid specific attention to safety, air pollution, and energy consumption, which are all affected by the vehicle type. The primary objective of this study is to achieve a thorough understanding of the relationships between transportation attitudes, safety attitudes, personality, as well as lifestyle and vehicle type for the first time in Iran, as a developing country. For this purpose, an interview questionnaire was designed, and 740 participants were interviewed in Tehran. Vehicle types are categorized into seven groups: mini, compact, medium, heavy, SUV, pickup, and motorcycle. In the first stage, factor analysis was used to identify the latent variables regarding transportation attitudes, safety attitudes, personality, and lifestyle. In the second step, by using these latent variables, individuals are classified, and a two-level clustering is formed. The correlation analysis performed in the third step shows a significant relationship between each category of people and the type of car. Likewise, the analyses carried out in this study reveal the significant relations between the vehicle type (classified based on fuel economy level, production country, vehicle emission, and vintage) and the attitudes of its owner. This information is beneficial to both vehicle manufacturers and transportation planners.