Analysis of the Role of Traveler Attitudes and Perceptions in Explaining Mode-Choice Behavior

An analysis was carried out using the 1991 wave of the Puget Sound Transportation Panel data set to determine the role played by attitudinal and preference variables in explaining commuter mode-choice behavior. Different modal market segments were compared to determine the extent to which attitudes and preferences differ across mode choices. A factor analysis was performed on the sample to identify a few distinct factors that would summarize the multitude of attitudinal variables present in the data set. Multinomial logit models of mode choice were estimated using different utility specifications. Three types of models were estimated: one that included only demographic variables, another that included only attitudinal factors, and another that included both demographic and attitudinal variables. Likelihood ratio tests were applied to assess the significance of the contribution of different types of variables in explaining mode-choice behavior. Results show that demographic variables and attitudinal variables are extremely important in explaining mode-choice behavior. More noteworthy, however, is the finding that the contribution of attitudinal factors is greater than that of demographic variables, thus emphasizing the need for greater consideration of attitudinal and preference variables in travel-demand-modeling applications.