Who is interested in car-free living in the US? Findings from a nationwide survey

The United States (US) is infamously car dependent, causing environmental, safety, and social problems. Car-free living is one way to combat the downsides of car use. Car-free living is defined as not owning a car, though it does not necessarily preclude car use. Globally, voluntary car-free living tends to occur where the built environment supports it. Many US cities lack the infrastructure needed to make car-free living a feasible or attractive option; most zero-car households in the US are car-less not by choice, but by necessity. As a result, the true demand for car-free living in the US remains unknown. Based on responses to an original, representative national survey (N = 2155), our research sheds light on (1) the magnitude of demand for car-free living in the US, (2) key factors associated with that demand, and (3) how car owners interested in car-free living differ from today’s zero-car households. Descriptive statistics indicate that nearly one in five car-owning adults in the US is interested in living car-free, and an additional 40 % are open to it. Multivariate analysis suggests interest in car-free living relates to past experience living without a car, current car and transit use, and attitudes regarding car travel. In contrast to zero-car households today, interest in car-free living shows little connection to sociodemographic characteristics. These results support expanding opportunities for car-free living in the US through thoughtful land use reform, targeted investments, and policies that make it convenient, safe, and affordable to live car-free.