Bridging the Attitude-Behaviour Gap. An explanation of travel mode choice using analytical sociology

Abstract

Mobility researchers acknowledge the multifaceted nature of individuals' trans-portation choices, influenced by personal attitudes, social norms, and transport infrastructure. However, the complexity of these factors often leads to incon-sistent findings in existing methodologies. Given the significant environmental impact of motorized private transportation, understanding the mechanisms of travel mode choice is imperative for fostering sustainable mobility behaviour. This paper introduces the Extended Model of Mobility Behaviour (xMooBe), a simplified sociological model focusing on transport mode choice. Incorporating concepts from attitude-related and choice models, xMooBe expands subjective expected utility theory by considering contextual factors like car ownership and public transport availability. Empirical testing using a dataset from a mobility survey yields promising results, with the model achieving up to an 80 percent accuracy in explaining behaviour.