What shapes perceived accessibility? Unpacking the interplay of sociodemographics, latent perceptions, and traditional accessibility metrics

Accessibility, understood as how easily individuals can reach a desired destination, can be measured in multiple ways. Perceived accessible opportunities, which include those seen as viable alternatives and as feasible given personal and scheduling constraints, may vary from an analyst’s assessment when calculated accessibility measures are used. Our study explores how perceived accessibility is shaped by the interaction between sociodemographic attributes, latent perceptions of the built environment, and traditional accessibility indicators. Moreover, we investigate how accessibility indicators influence perceived accessibility for various services and examine the effects of distance thresholds to determine how strongly the concept of the neighbourhood influences residents’ perceptions of accessibility. To do so, we use a representative sample of 354 individuals living in a residential neighbourhood in Santiago de Chile in 2019. In addition to mobility diaries and sociodemographic characterisation, the respondents indicated whether eight different services were accessible in the neighbourhood and, if so, whether they made use of them. A hybrid discrete choice model was estimated to understand the interplay between different factors and their role in the perception of accessibility for each service. Our results indicate that even though each is important on its own, there is no evidence suggesting that one accessibility indicator is superior to another when studying accessibility perception. In addition, we find both direct and indirect effects of gender and age, which occur via latent perceptions of the use of public space and infrastructure quality. Finally, we found evidence supporting the idea that the neighbourhood corresponds to the immediate surroundings of the residential household and that perceived accessibility is significantly different depending on the type of service studied. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the underlying dimensions affecting perceived accessibility in the Global South, providing important evidence for decision makers on the complexities that must be considered when designing effective and inclusive proximity-based policies.