Suggested Citation:
Jain, Aakansha (2025)

Transport Disadvantage, Travel Satisfaction, and Life Satisfaction: Insights from Commute and Non-Work Trips

. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Dissertation UCD-ITS-RR-25-96

Abstract:

This dissertation examines the relationship between perceived transport disadvantage, travel satisfaction, and life satisfaction using primary survey data from the Sacramento and Bay Area regions of California. The dissertation focuses on both commute trips and non-work trips such as grocery shopping, healthcare visits, and social trips to meet friends or family. Employing structural equation modeling, the analysis investigates how transport disadvantage is associated with missed or delayed trips, how satisfaction varies across commute and non-work travel, and how these experiences shape overall life satisfaction.In the first study, presented in chapter 3 of this dissertation, I examine how perceived transport disadvantage impacts people’s ability to access essential services such as grocery shopping, healthcare visits, and social activities, and whether missing or delaying non-work trips mediates the relationship between transport disadvantage and life satisfaction. I find that among the two latent constructs related to transport disadvantage, only travel difficulties have a significant effect on the likelihood of missing or delaying non-work trips. Individuals who report greater travel difficulties are more likely to forgo grocery shopping, healthcare, and social trips. Feeling safe while traveling alone is negatively associated with missing or delaying grocery trips, indicating that those who feel unsafe are more likely to skip such trips. Concern about personal security is also a significant predictor, with individuals who report higher concerns being more likely to miss or delay grocery shopping and social trips. However, for all trip types, neither travel difficulties nor transit barriers show a statistically significant indirect effect on life satisfaction. These insignificant indirect paths suggest that even when transport challenges lead to missed or delayed non-work trips, they do not substantially mediate the relationship between transport disadvantage and overall life satisfaction.In the second study, discussed in chapter 4, I explore how perceived transport disadvantage and trip-specific characteristics relate to satisfaction with both commute and non-work trips, including grocery shopping, healthcare visits, and social trips to meet friends or family. I also examine whether the factors associated with satisfaction differ across trip types. The results show that the latent construct of transit barriers is significantly and negatively associated with satisfaction with social trips. In contrast, the latent construct of travel difficulties does not show a significant association with satisfaction with non-work trips. Feeling safe while traveling alone is positively associated with satisfaction with grocery and healthcare trips. Likewise, feeling safe from traffic while walking or biking has a significant positive association with healthcare and commute trip satisfaction. In this study I also examine whether the factors associated with commute satisfaction, which captures only the cognitive evaluation of travel, differ from those associated with commute well-being, which incorporates both cognitive and affective dimensions of the experience. The findings suggest that although there is overlap in the predictors of commute satisfaction and well-being, there are also important distinctions. For instance, feeling safe while riding transit significantly improves well-being but has no impact on satisfaction. Similarly, a positive attitude toward transit enhances well-being, while racial demographics and commute mode show no significant effect on it. Together, these differences underscore that the two constructs are not interchangeable and should be treated as empirically distinct. While cognitive measures can capture functional aspects, especially related to trip time, perceived efficiency, and logistical constraints, they fall short in detecting individuals’ emotional experiences during trips. In contrast, STS offers a richer understanding of the commute experience by capturing the affective responses, making it a more appropriate tool when the policy objective is improving well-being in addition to operational efficiency.In the final study, outlined in chapter 5, I assess how satisfaction with commute and non-work trips is linked to overall life satisfaction. The results demonstrate that travel satisfaction, for both non-work and commute trips, is a meaningful predictor of life satisfaction. However, not all types of nonwork trips contribute equally. Social and healthcare-related trips show stronger links with life satisfaction than grocery trips, suggesting that trips involving personal care and social connection may hold greater cognitive value. Commute satisfaction also plays an important role in shaping life satisfaction, reinforcing the importance of improving the quality of daily travel experiences.