As Figure 37 shows, social trips comprise a higher percentage of tripmaking among both teens and young adults than adults.įigure 36: Average Daily Social Trips by Age Group (1990, 2001, and 2009) The number of social trips declined slightly from 2001 to 2009, as did the number of trips overall. High school students and young adults make the highest number of social trips, and adults make the fewest. 29 Social trip making is relatively consistent across age categories, ranging from 0.8 to 1.3 trips per day. Descriptive Statisticsįigure 36 illustrates the average daily social trips taken by different age groups in each survey year. While the use of the Poisson model may obscure many of the trade-offs made between the various non-SOV modes of transportation, the following model provides insight into the choice to drive alone for social purposes. We chose this modeling form due to computational limitations of estimating a multinomial mode choice model with a very large (three data years, combined) dataset. For this model, we estimated a Poisson regression model of the share of social trips made by single-occupancy vehicle (SOV), rather than use any other mode of transportation. We include this variable because social trips taken on the weekend may differ in both frequency and type from social trips taken on a weekday.Īs in the previous analytical sections, we estimated a quasi-cohort model of mode choice for social trips. The weekend variable identifies whether the respondent took the trip on Saturday or Sunday.Mode choice varies greatly by distance: for example, people become much less likely to choose non-motorized forms of transportation for longer trips as a result, we use the natural log of distance. The distance variable refers to the distance traveled for a given trip.The social trips variable refers to the number of social trips the respondent has taken on the survey day.In addition to the variables described and used in the analyses above, the models presented here include the additional analysis-specific variables: We use this technique in our analysis of social and recreational travel as well. Because our analysis includes only trips described explicitly as social trips, our analysis unavoidably omits some social and recreational trips.Īs with the commute mode choice analysis above, multinomial logistic regression is the most common statistical technique used to test the relationships between various factors and mode choice. But if a teenager travels to the mall and spend time with friends, the trip will be designated a “shopping” trip in the NHTS despite the obvious social component. An after work journey to a grocery store in search of food for dinner by a weary single mother is almost certainly a non-social shopping trip. Although the respondents give the purpose of their trips, some purposes-for example, shopping-can be either social or non-social. However, using the NHTS to analyze social travel in this manner has limitations. MethodologyĪs we explained in the previous chapter, the NHTS asks respondents about the purpose of their travel, and we classify their travel as social travel if they give “visiting friends or relatives” or “other social or recreational” as reasons for making a trip. Accordingly, this chapter uses data from the NHTS surveys to construct a model of mode choice for social trips. Regardless of age, however, research on subjective well-being has consistently shown that time spent in social and recreational activities is positively associated with happiness (Dolan, Peasgood, and White 2008).

Indeed, social and recreational trips form a larger share of teen travel than adult travel. Developing social relations independent of familial and neighbor relationships is a central part of the teenage transition into adulthood-and social and recreational travel is central to this transition. So while policymakers and transportation analysts, perhaps understandably, tend to focus on commuter travel, other trips-including social trips-are important to quality of life as well.

With respect to trip purpose, all work and no play make Jack and Jill dull children. Understanding the factors that affect mode choice is essential for planning for the transportation needs of future generations.

Tripmode messed up my wifi