An Analysis of Changes in Time Use and Activity Participation in Response to the COVID-2019 Pandemic in the United States: Implications for Well-being

This research project aims to investigate the well-being implications of changes in activity-travel and time use patterns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uses American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data from 2019 and 2020 to assess changes in activity-travel and time use patterns. It applies two methods – a well-being scoring method and a time poverty analysis method – to evaluate the impacts of these changes on society. The results show that individuals experienced diminished well-being during the pandemic even when their time poverty statistics showed an improvement; this is because the pandemic did not allow individuals to pursue activities in a way that would enhance well-being. In general, well-being is positively associated with the pursuit of discretionary activities in the company of others in favored out-of-home locations. This explains why people have rapidly embraced traveling again in a post-pandemic era. At the same time, people desire more discretionary time (less time poverty); because the elimination of the commute contributes to this, workers are reluctant to return fully to the workplace. Planning processes need to account for a new normal in which activity-travel patterns will be increasingly shaped by the human desire to accumulate positive life experiences.

• Record URL:
  https://tomnet-utc.engineering.asu.edu/projects/asu-time-use-and-activity-participation-in-response-to-the-covid-2019-pandemic/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $N/A
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747116

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Teaching Old Models New Tricks (TOMNET)

  Arizona State University
  Tempe, AZ  United States  85287
• Project Managers:

  Pendyala, Ram

• Performing Organizations:

  Arizona State University, Tempe

  Tempe, AZ  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Batur, Irfan

  Polzin, Steven

• Start Date: 20220801
• Expected Completion Date: 20230731
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Activity choices; COVID-19; Leisure time; Quality of life; Social factors; Travel
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Security and Emergencies; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01875571
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Teaching Old Models New Tricks (TOMNET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747116
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 14 2023 12:25PM