1162 | 859 | “Parenting on the Move: A Mixed Methods Study on Parents’ Travel Behavior and Mobility Preferences in Warsaw” | Jakub Zawieska, Joanna Jaczewska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska

Travel behaviour and the decisions behind individual mobility are highly complex and contextual processes. Traditional measures of travel behaviour based solely on quantitative and relatively simple tools are not enough to truly understand all the motivations and determinants of mobility. The life course approach and mobility biographies are examples of novel approaches to mobility analysis. These new approaches focus on the evolution of daily transport habits over time and try to identify the potential impact of elements such as stability and change over the life course on mobility practices. _x000D_
Our study focuses on the application of the mixed methods approach to better understand the travel behaviour and mobility preferences of parents of school-aged children. As previous studies have shown, this group of society generally travels more for various reasons and has a unique perspective on some important aspects of mobility choices. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, we investigated the determinants and preferences of parents’ everyday mobility choices in Warsaw, Poland. Our qualitative study was based on eight two-hour focus group interviews (FGIs) conducted in October 2021. In 2022, additionally, a series of quantitative surveys were conducted, both among parents of school-aged children (two surveys in three different primary schools, total n= 1 438) and Warsaw citizens (n=1170), analysing their travel behaviour and mobility preferences. Our study shows how parenthood affects various aspects of travel behaviour, such as car ownership, car use, perceptions of car safety, as well as time (ir)rationality and economic valuation of their everyday journeys. It also shows how children’s own preferences influence parents’ mobility choices and explains why we see this as an opportunity for positive change. It also provides interesting insights into different aspects of travel behaviour in the Central European context._x000D_

Jakub Zawieska, Joanna Jaczewska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska
Jakub Zawieska, Katarzyna Archanowicz-Kudelska: SGH, Warsaw School of Economics Institute of Infrastructure, Transport, and Mobility ; Joanna Jaczewska: University of Gdansk, Institute of Geography
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