The Effects of Latent Attitudinal Variables and Sociodemographic Differences on Travel Behavior in Two Small, Underdeveloped Cities in China

Gang Cheng,Shuzhi Zhao,Jin Li

doi:10.3390/su11051306

Abstract

In small, underdeveloped Chinese cities, residents have few options for transportation and travel service problems have not received enough attention from the authorities. This study examines residents’ preferred mode of travel in Lhasa and Yushu, China, two small and underdeveloped cities in which travelers tend to be economically disadvantaged. Travel data from different regions was analyzed to explore their commonalities. A structural equation model with latent variables is proposed to capture the heterogeneity not observed in the selection process. Results indicate that four of the six latent variables—preference for comfort, preference for reliability, preference for convenience and safety consciousness—are more helpful than preferences for flexibility and environmental awareness in explaining transportation utility, which could reflect residents’ travel behavior. Based on the results, respondents were divided into five groups with similar travel preferences through the k-means clustering method. The findings show that ensuring high comfort and convenience and moderate safety and reliability is conducive to increasing residents’ use of public transport. Furthermore, an examination of residents’ sociodemographic differences reflects that, in the future, active transport demand management should focus on trying to satisfy the preferences of female, low-income and elderly travelers.

Highlights

In China, uneven production and development have taken place across different regions because of disparate access to science and technology
Findings in this study reveal the effects of accessibility variables on activity participation and travel behavior in which population density measure has more ubiquitous effects
The results indicate that the measurement items have a high level of reliability

Summary

Introduction

In China, uneven production and development have taken place across different regions because of disparate access to science and technology. Underdeveloped areas refer to those regions with a certain economic strength but a potential gap (e.g., disposable income and available transportation resources), when compared to developed regions such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. Referring to the international poverty line standard, proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, combined with the actual situation in China, the poverty rate in big cities is defined as the income level of 50% of the regional median disposable income per capita. In 2016, the lower-middle-income line in Nanjing was a monthly per capita income of 3074 Chinese Yuan [1]. In most small, underdeveloped cities in China, with a population of less than 500,000 [2], most residents belong to the economically disadvantaged group, including lower-middle-income and low-income groups [3], which both enjoy the Chinese preferential policies

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Conclusion