Social Networks and Travel Behavior

This proposal aims to understand how social networks influence travel behavior. The researchers draw on the theory and methods of network science, which involves scientists from multiple disciplines interested in the structure and function of networks. Network science has found that social networks exert a profound influence on individual behavior of different types, yet these questions have only started to gain traction in transportation research. One reason for this is that traditional models of travel behavior rely on individualistic assumptions about decision-making, rather than the social context in which travel behavior takes place. The researchers' study will investigate the influence of social networks on the travel behavior of students at the University of California, Davis. They will explore network structure for different segments of the student population and analyze how network structure and individual network positions influence travel behavior, as well as how other factors interact with social network variables in discrete choice models. The researchers expect the structure of networks to be different for different segments of the student population, and that the structure, as well as the nature of individual or small group relationships within the network, is important in determining the relative influence of networks on travel behavior.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $39056.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT06-G-0022

  R06-2

• Sponsor Organizations:

  California Department of Transportation

  1227 O Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95843
• Performing Organizations:

  Sustainable Transportation Center/ITS-Davis

  ITS-Davis
  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States  95616
• Principal Investigators:

  Lubell, Mark

• Start Date: 20111001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20120930
• Source Data: RiP Project 32355

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: College students; Decision making; Social factors; Travel behavior
• Candidate Terms: Social networking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Influences; Interpersonal relationships
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01466953
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of California Transportation Center/Institute of Transportation Studies
• Contract Numbers: DTRT06-G-0022, R06-2
• Files: UTC, RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 3:25PM