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Identifying the Causal Relationship between Travel and Activity Times: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Jahun Koo

    (Department of Urban Planning, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Korea)

  • Jiyoon Kim

    (Department of Highway & Transportation Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Korea)

  • Sungtaek Choi

    (Department of Metropolitan and Urban Transport, Korea Transport Institute, Sejong 30147, Korea)

  • Sangho Choo

    (Department of Urban Design & Planning, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Korea)

Abstract

This study aims to identify the causal relationship between travel and activity times using the dataset collected from the 2019 Time Use Survey in Korea. As a statistical solution, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed. A total number of 31,177 and 20,817 cases were used in estimating the weekday and weekend models, respectively. Three types of activities (subsistence, maintenance, and leisure), 13 socio-demographic variables, and a newly proposed latent variable (vitality) were incorporated in the final model. Results showed that (1) the magnitude of indirect effects were mostly greater than that of direct effects, (2) all types of activities affected travel time regardless of what the travel purpose was, (3) travel can be treated as both a utility and disutility, and (4) personal status could affect the travel time ratio. It indicates the significance of indirect effects on travel time, thereby suggesting a broad perspective of activities when establishing a transportation policy in practical areas. It also implies that unobserved latent elements could play a meaningful role in identifying travel time-related characteristics. Lastly, we believe that this study contributes to literature by clarifying a new perspective on the lively debated issue discussing whether travel time is wasted or productive.

Suggested Citation

  • Jahun Koo & Jiyoon Kim & Sungtaek Choi & Sangho Choo, 2022. "Identifying the Causal Relationship between Travel and Activity Times: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4615-:d:792329
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    References listed on IDEAS

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