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A life course perspective on the travel of Australian millennials

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  • Delbosc, Alexa
  • Nakanishi, Hitomi

Abstract

Recent research suggests that the millennial generation may be inclined to more sustainable travel habits than previous generations, reflected in lower rates of driver licensing in many countries and greater use of sustainable modes in others. However, it is still unknown whether millennials will continue to use sustainable transport modes as they age, or whether their travel patterns will revert to the car dependence displayed by previous generations. This research addresses this overlooked area in the travel behaviour research through an in-depth, qualitative prospective exploration of the interactions between life course and mobility of millennials in three Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra). Drawing from life-course transition research, fifty-five in-depth interviews found that Australian millennial life courses could be categorised into three typologies: (a) traditional, (b) delayed-traditional and (c) non-traditional/uncertain. In addition, millennial mobility was categorised into four typologies: (a) choice multi-modals, (b) captive multi-modals, (c) choice drivers and (d) captive drivers. Many millennials preferred living in inner urban areas, were multi-modal and somewhat ‘mode-agnostic,’ open to using whatever travel mode best suited their needs; very few showed a strong preference for cars. However, the research does suggest that as millennials approach adult milestones such as having children, the difficulty in finding suitable housing near transit may push some of them into neighbourhoods where sustainable transport is no longer a practical option. Policy interventions that support a sustainable lifestyle are suggested and research directions are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Delbosc, Alexa & Nakanishi, Hitomi, 2017. "A life course perspective on the travel of Australian millennials," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 319-336.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:104:y:2017:i:c:p:319-336
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.03.014
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    3. Kailai Wang & Xize Wang, 2022. "Generational Differences in Automobility: Comparing America's Millennials and Gen Xers Using Gradient Boosting Decision Trees," Papers 2206.11056, arXiv.org.
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    6. Vlad I. RO?CA, 2018. "Too Young To Drive? The Impact Of Age And Generational Cohorts On Motorization In Europe," Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 13(2), pages 53-64, May.
    7. Monteiro, Mayara Moraes & de Abreu e Silva, João & Haustein, Sonja & Pinho de Sousa, Jorge, 2021. "Urban travel behavior adaptation of temporary transnational residents," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
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    9. Sakinah Fathrunnadi Shalihati & Andri Kurniawan & Sri Rum Giyarsih & Djaka Marwasta & Dimas Bayu Endrayana Dharmowijoyo, 2022. "Daily Activity Space for Various Generations in the Yogyakarta Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-24, October.
    10. Shahadat Hossain, Md & Rahman Fatmi, Mahmudur, 2022. "Modeling individuals’ preferences towards different levels of vehicle autonomy: A random parameter rank-ordered logit model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 88-99.
    11. Klein, Nicholas J. & Guerra, Erick & Smart, Michael J., 2018. "The Philadelphia story: Age, race, gender and changing travel trends," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 19-25.
    12. Li, Xinghua & Yang, Yueyi & Guo, Yuntao & Souders, Dustin & Li, Jian, 2023. "Understanding the role of risk perception and health measures in ridesourcing usage in the post-COVID-19 era," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    13. Scheiner, Joachim, 2020. "Changes in travel mode use over the life course with partner interactions in couple households," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 791-807.
    14. Delbosc, Alexa & McCarthy, Laura, 2021. "Pushed back, pulled forward: Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on young adults’ life plans and future mobility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 43-51.
    15. Zhu, Pengyu & Tan, Xinying & Zhao, Songnian & Shi, Shuai & Wang, Mingshu, 2022. "Land use regulations, transit investment, and commuting preferences," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    16. Delbosc, Alexa & Naznin, Farhana, 2019. "Future life course and mobility: A latent class analysis of young adults in Victoria, Australia," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 104-116.
    17. Shaila Jamal & K. Bruce Newbold, 2020. "Factors Associated with Travel Behavior of Millennials and Older Adults: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
    18. Laura McCarthy & Alexa Delbosc & Graham Currie & Andrew Molloy, 2021. "Trajectories and transitions: mobility after parenthood," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 239-256, February.
    19. Ali Etezady & F. Atiyya Shaw & Patricia L. Mokhtarian & Giovanni Circella, 2021. "What drives the gap? Applying the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition method to examine generational differences in transportation-related attitudes," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 857-883, April.
    20. Nan Ye & Linjie Gao & Zhicai Juan & Anning Ni, 2018. "Are People from Households with Children More Likely to Travel by Car? An Empirical Investigation of Individual Travel Mode Choices in Shanghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-14, December.
    21. Michał Suchanek & Agnieszka Szmelter-Jarosz, 2019. "Environmental Aspects of Generation Y’s Sustainable Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-13, June.
    22. Bruno, Matthew & Nikolaeva, Anna, 2020. "Towards a maintenance-based approach to mode shift: Comparing two cases of Dutch cycling policy using social practice theory," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    23. Zhenjun Zhu & Zhigang Li & Hongsheng Chen & Ye Liu & Jun Zeng, 2019. "Subjective well-being in China: how much does commuting matter?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1505-1524, August.
    24. Laura McCarthy & Alexa Delbosc & Graham Currie & Andrew Molloy, 2017. "Factors influencing travel mode choice among families with young children (aged 0–4): a review of the literature," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(6), pages 767-781, November.

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