Who is ready to live a car-independent lifestyle? A latent class cluster analysis of attitudes towards car ownership and usage

Abstract

The excess use of private cars for transportation has multiple negative effects on our society, and therefore, determining the underlying factors driving car usage among different groups of travellers could contribute to a more sustainable future. In this paper, we aim to identify and characterise traveller groups in terms of their car-related attitudes and how different sociodemographic attributes, behavioural characteristics (such as using cars as the primary mode of transportation), and their residential location accessibility vary amongst different population groups. Through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Latent Profile Analysis we identify five different classes, namely car detractors, hesitants, positives, friends, and lovers. Overall, . We also see that the farther away households tend to be located from urban areas and public transportation facilities, the closer the relationship with cars. The results of this analysis will provide valuable insights into how to discourage the use of cars and promote more sustainable mobility.