Contribution of Perceptions in Analysis of Walking Behavior
Abstract
Researchers have recently begun to include psychosocial factors such as mental maps, social supports, and perceptions in analyses of travel behavior. Indeed, these subjective factors are distinct from the environment as measured objectively and might provide more insight regarding travel decisions. This study investigates the relationships between residents’ perceptions of their neighborhood environment and corresponding objective measures of the same attributes and ultimately tests their influence on walking behavior. This cross-sectional, disaggregate research design incorporates three major categories of data: (a) objective measures of the environment, (b) residents’ perceptions and attitudes about the environment, and (c) walking behavior data. Six indices representing major features of the environment are constructed from both the objective and perceptual measures. The analysis, which consists of models of walking behavior, reveals that walking behavior is associated with the environment both when measured through perceptions and objectively but that different aspects of the environment are significant from either perspective. These findings point to the need for more research into the influence that psychosocial factors have on travel behavior.
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Article first published online: January 1, 2009
Issue published: January 2009
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