University-related travel behavior: Young adults’ decision-making in Iran

Recent research suggests that travel behaviors among young adults in the West are changing to rely less on automobile than previous generations. However, little attention has been paid to young adult travelers in developing countries in terms of their mode choices and willingness to adapt to alternative modes compared to the West. This study investigates travel behavior among Iranian university students, who generate a considerable proportion of the daily trips in Iran's largest cities. To investigate university-related travel behavior, current and preferred mode choices were examined for three popular modes of transportation. A comprehensive survey was used to collect data from university students aged 18–30 years old at twelve universities in metropolitan Shiraz. The predictive factors included perceptions toward public transit and walkability, travel attitudes, lifestyle, and built environment characteristics. Employing multilevel integrated multinomial logit and structural equation model approach, this study found that even though public transit was the most common mode of transportation at the time of the study, the majority of respondents reported their preference for private cars compared to public transit. This finding is contrary to the consensus on Millennials’ travel behavior in developed countries, which finds that Millennials tend to prefer active travel modes and public transit. The significant attitudinal factors included friendship orientation, and significant lifestyle factors included technological and sport-oriented lifestyles, which influenced current and preferred modal choices. Cultural and educational contexts arguably encourage a preference for driving among young adults in Shiraz. Restrictions on inter-gender interaction among young adults in public places and on public transit in publicly religious cultures such as Iran's also contribute to young adults’ preferences for private cars, which differs from the situation in developed countries. Using a private car to demonstrate prestige to others could be more important to young Iranians than the use of automobiles for transportation purposes, which changes the basic function of the vehicle. The unexpected positive relationship between a sport-oriented lifestyle and private car usage might be because university students do not value walking as the most important daily physical activity and this lifestyle is a time-use pattern rather than a behavioral orientation. Two perceptions toward walkability (walking infrastructure and streetscape) positively influenced current and preferred walking/cycling mode. The built environment characteristics of distance to university, land-use diversity, and street density influenced modal choices. Policy suggestions and theoretical contributions that support young adults’ sustainable university-related travel are discussed.