Unveiling substitution patterns of work trips by teleworking and their associations with physical and virtual accessibility in the Brazilian COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

This research investigates substitution patterns of work trips by teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Through a longitudinal survey, individuals were asked about their frequencies of work trips and teleworking, engagement with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and physical accessibility aspects. Using a two-step modeling framework, we revealed three different substitution patterns of work trips by teleworking by comparing the 2nd half of 2020 to the pre-pandemic period (early March 2020): (1) no/lowsubstitution (uninterrupted in-person work), (2) moderate substitution and (3) intense substitution. Moderate substitution was distinguished from intense substitution by the way in-person work was replaced (partially or fully working from home, respectively) and by the proportion of tasks amenable to telework in the individuals’ occupations. After controlling for these aspects, positive attitudes towards ICT and ICT proficiency strongly determined the magnitude of substitution. Interestingly, the level of substitution was also positively correlated with physical accessibility, indicating that the pandemic has likely widened existing inequalities. In the follow-up survey in late 2021, we found that no/lowsubstitution and moderate substitution classes returned to pre-pandemic levels of teleworking, whereas most of those in the intense substitution group carried on teleworking in 2021. Car use for the no/lowand moderate substitution classes persisted throughout time and only a partial recovery in public transit use was observed in the intense substitution class. In addition to contributing to the comprehension of this phenomenon, the present study provides relevant inputs to inform post-pandemic urban policies.