Changing Attitudes Toward Sustainable Transportation: The Impact of Meta-Arguments

The proposed research investigates the efficacy of communications that prompt people to rethink their attitudes about sustainable transportation. It is believef that an important contributor to attitudes about public transit, driving, walking, and bicycling are meta-cognitions about the functional value of holding particular attitudinal positions. Prior research has examined the impact of public service messages aimed at convincing potential riders about the merits of public transportation and the costs of driving. The planned study examines the persuasiveness of meta-arguments about the benefits of adopting more favorable attitudes toward public transportation options. Participants will read a message conveying conventional arguments for using public transportation (e.g., “Using public transportation significantly reduces the air pollution from driving a car”) or meta-arguments for adopting more favorable attitudes (e.g., “Surveys indicate that corporate America is increasingly hiring employees with a strong orientation toward environmentally sustainable practices such as public transportation”, “People who favor public transportation are perceived to be progressive and community oriented”), or a control communication about recycling. Both conventional arguments and meta-arguments are expected to lead to more positive attitudes toward public transportation. Meta-arguments about the functional value of more positive attitudes toward sustainable options may be particularly effective with persons who are indifferent about environmental issues or concerned about their social image. Theoretically, the study will show that this distinct category of arguments can be effective in persuasion. More importantly, the study will arm educators and policy makers with a new set of arguments or tools for changing attitudes about sustainable transportation.

• Record URL:
  http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/801/Changing_attitudes_toward_sustainable_transportation:_The_impact_of_meta-arguments

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $154616
• Contract Numbers:

  NITC 801

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Institute for Transportation and Communities

  Portland State University
  P.O. Box 751
  Portland, OR  United States  97207
• Project Managers:

  Hagedorn, Hau

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Utah, Salt Lake City

  Metropolitan Research Center
  375 South 1530 East Room 235
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84112

  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

  607 14th Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  2005
• Principal Investigators:

  Moore, Shannon

  Sanbonmatsu, David

  Strayer, David

• Start Date: 20140701
• Expected Completion Date: 20160630
• Actual Completion Date: 20170801

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Attitudes; Bicycling; Driving; Environmental impacts; Mode choice; Public transit; Sustainable transportation; Walking
• Subject Areas: Environment; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01578144
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Institute for Transportation and Communities
• Contract Numbers: NITC 801
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 14 2015 11:11AM