Workforce commuting and subjective well-being

Zakiyya Adam,Lukasz Walasek,Caroline Meyer

doi:10.1016/j.tbs.2018.08.006

Abstract

Commuting to and from work can constitute a significant proportion of a person’s day and can have a considerable impact on one’s well-being. Using the UK Time Use Survey (UKTUS) dataset, the experienced well-being effects of commuting, in terms of enjoyment, were evaluated relative to other daily activities. Commutes using passive modes of transport (e.g., car, train) were found to be the least enjoyable activities carried out in the day. Commuting using active modes of transport (e.g., cycle, walk) was also amongst the least enjoyable activities, although enjoyment of active commuting was significantly higher than that of passive commuting. This paper also assessed differences in the experienced well-being of other daily activities (such as working and physical exercise) during the workday between those who did and those who did not commute. Using a series of multilevel analyses, commuting was shown to have little impact on an individual’s enjoyment of the other daily activities in which they partake. Enjoyment of all daily activities was found to be just as high on workdays on which participants commuted using active modes of transport as on non-commuting workdays. With the exception of only Personal Care activities and Sleep, there were no meaningful differences in enjoyment of any daily activities between any of the three commuting workday groups and non-commuting workdays.

Highlights

Workforce Commuting and Subjective Well-Being Commuting to and from work is a routine part of daily life for over 80% of the UK workforce, which equates to 21.5 million residents
The results show that commuting by passive modes of transport ranked as the least enjoyable daily activity with the mean enjoyment rating of 4.45 (SD = 1.51)
How Commuting Compares to Other Daily Activities Commuting was found to be the least enjoyable daily activity, when using passive modes of transport and when assessed at the most coarse level of activity categorisation

Summary

Introduction

Workforce Commuting and Subjective Well-Being Commuting to and from work is a routine part of daily life for over 80% of the UK workforce, which equates to 21.5 million residents (as of 2011; Office for National Statistics, 2014a). Bryson and MacKerron (2017) found that commuting ranked as 34th and 35th out of 40 activities in terms of happiness and feelings of relaxation In this particular study, data were collected using experiential sampling, where participants were asked to report on their feelings of happiness, relaxation and alertness when prompted to do so by a mobile app. As discussed in their paper, their sample was not representative of the UK population; those using the mobile phone application were wealthier and younger than the general public, with greater proportions being in full time employment or education. More than one million observations from tens of thousands of individuals in the UK

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Discussion

Conclusion