Connecting Choice Contexts: Evidence on Preference and Scale Differences from a Field Experiment

Abstract

This study examines how travellers’ preferences differ across connected choice contexts, including stated preference (SP), app-based travel planning, and real-world revealed preference (RP). To do so, we designed the Leeds-EXPERIENCE field experiment, in which 100 participants completed a pre-journey SP survey, an initial travel plan, a four-leg real-world journey under binding time and budget constraints, and a post-journey SP survey. A joint modelling framework was developed to analyse the four linked datasets. Preliminary results show clear shifts between planned and realised choices, indicating that information-based plans do not fully reflect realworld decisions. The joint estimates also suggest significant scale differences, with RP choices exhibiting lower scale than SP and planning data. The study highlights the value of connected multi-context data for improving behavioural realism and model transferability.