Widening the gap? Evidence from Germany for changes in the attitude behaviour gap for transportation during Covid-19

Bibliographic Data

ID12295285
AuthorsKerstin Nolte (0000-0003-2716-7778, Leibniz University Hannover, corresponding author), Kerstin J Schaefer (0000-0003-0549-492X, Leibniz University Hannover)
Year2024
Volume118
Pages103940-103940
Publication date2024-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Transport Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-6923 • E-ISSN: 1873-1236
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103940
OpenAlexW4400605414
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited69

Transportation is a main contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. For a sustainable transformation, consumers play a crucial role. While sustainability gains importance and is reflected in consumers' attitudes, consumers' behaviour does not always align with their sustainability attitudes - a discrepancy called the attitude behaviour gap. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted people's daily lives and transport choices, potentially altering their attitude behaviour gap. Thus, the pandemic presents a unique opportunity to understand how crises and disruptions can lead to changes in the alignment between sustainable intentions and actions. Using local survey data from Germany, we identify socio-economic factors and transport infrastructure as key contributors to misalignments between attitudes and behaviour. Notably, during the pandemic, this gap widened, particularly among women and those with children, increasing inequalities among different socio-economic groups. This highlights the need for tailored policies to address the distinct mobility needs of these groups to allow them to act according to their attitudes and counteract increasing inequalities. Moreover, our findings underscore the importance of transitioning from individual motorized transport to public and more active modes of transport. This transition is particularly crucial in the German context, where levels of individual motorized transport are exceptionally high

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Forensic engineering · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Outbreak · Pandemic · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Transport engineering · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Engineering · Medicine · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Virology

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