Journal of Transport and Land Use

Analyzing the association between satisfaction with commuting time and satisfaction with life domains: A comparison of 32 European countries

Richa Maheshwari

Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research

Veronique Van Acker

Jonas De Vos

Frank Witlox

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2022.2121

Keywords: Commuting time satisfaction, Satisfaction with other life domains, Satisfaction with overall life, European countries

---

Abstract

Although the majority of literature explains travel satisfaction by examining trip determinants, the interaction between travel satisfaction and satisfaction with other life domains has been analyzed less frequently. Accounting for satisfaction with other life domains is nevertheless important because the effect of trip characteristics on travel satisfaction may be overestimated without considering satisfaction with non-travel-related life domains. Hence, this paper examines the interaction between satisfaction with commuting time, satisfaction with other life domains and overall life satisfaction. An ordered logistic regression has been estimated using a large dataset comprising data from 32 European countries. Results indicate that satisfaction with specific life domains and overall life satisfaction have a significant association with commuting time satisfaction (CTS), while controlling for employment characteristics, and personality (i.e., trust). Of all life domains, job and time-use satisfaction have the strongest associations with CTS. Given the large dataset, we controlled for the contextual differences between the European countries by making a distinction between well- and less-developed countries. The result seems to suggest that all life domains and employment characteristics better explain CTS in well-developed countries than less-developed countries. This paper thus contributes to reporting other innovative ways to obtain high levels of commuting time satisfaction rather than only looking at the interactions with transport mode, travel distance and travel time.

---

References

Abou-Zeid, M., Witter, R., Bierlaire, M., Kaufmann, V., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2012). Happiness and travel mode switching: Findings from a Swiss public transportation experiment. Transport Policy, 19(1), 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2011.09.009

Amponsah-Tawiah, K., Annor, F., & Arthur, B. G. (2016). Linking commuting stress to job satisfaction and turnover intention: The mediating role of burnout. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 31(2), 104–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2016.1159518

Bergstad, C. J., Gamble, A., Garling, T., Hagman, O., Polk, M., Ettema, D., … & Olsson, L. E. (2011). Subjective well-being related to satisfaction with daily travel. Transportation, 38, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-010-9283-z

Bruno, G. S. F., Caroleo, F. E., & Dessy, O. (2013). Temporary contracts and young workers’ job satisfaction in Italy (Working paper; Issue 7716). Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor.

Cervero, R., & Kockelman, K. (1997). Travel demand and the 3Ds: Density, diversity and design. Transportation Research Part D, 2(3), 199–219.

Chatterjee, K., Chng, S., Clark, B., Davis, A., De Vos, J., Handy, S., … & Reardon, L. (2020). Commuting and wellbeing: A critical overview of the literature with implications for policy and future research. Transport Reviews, 40(1), 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2019.1649317

Christian, T. J. (2012). Automobile commuting duration and the quantity of time spent with spouse, children, and friends. Preventive Medicine, 55(3), 215–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.06.015

Clark, B. (2012). Understanding how household car ownership changes over time (PhD dissertation), University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom. Retrieved from http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/16900/1/BenClarkPhDThesis_Redacted.pdf

Clark, B., Chatterjee, K., Martin, A., & Davis, A. (2020). How commuting affects subjective wellbeing. Transportation, 47, 2777–2805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-019-09983-9

Clark, B., Chatterjee, K., & Melia, S. (2016). Changes to commute mode: The role of life events, spatial context and environmental attitude. Transportation Research Part A, 89, 89–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2016.05.005

Dargay, J., & Hanly, M. (2007). Volatility of car ownership, commuting mode and time in the UK. Transportation Research Part A, 41(10), 934–948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2007.05.003

De Vos, J., Ettema, D., & Witlox, F. (2019). Effects of changing travel patterns on travel satisfaction: A focus on recently relocated residents. Travel Behavior and Society, 16, 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2019.04.001

De Vos, J., Schwanen, T., Van Acker, V., & Witlox, F. (2013). Travel and subjective well-being: A focus on findings, methods and future research needs. Transport Reviews, 33(4), 421–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2013.815665

De Vos, J., Schwanen, T., Van Acker, V., & Witlox, F. (2016). Does a satisfying trip result in more future trips with that mode? Paper presented at the Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

De Vos, J., & Witlox, F. (2017). Travel satisfaction revisited. On the pivotal role of travel satisfaction in conceptualizing a travel behavior process. Transportation Research Part A, 106, 364–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.10.009

Deneve, K. M., & Copper, H. (1998). The happy personality — a meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective wellbeing. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 197–229. https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/1998-deneve.pdf

Denters, B., & Klok, P. (2010). Rebuilding roombeek: Patterns of citizen participation in urban governance. Urban Affairs Review, 45(5), 583–607. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087409356756

Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. American Psychological Association, 125(1), 276–302. https://doi.org/10.1006/pupt.1998.0157

Dijst, M., & Vidakovic, V. (2000). Travel time ratio: The key factor of spatial reach. Transportation, 27(2), 179–199. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005293330869

Ettema, D., Friman, M., Gärling, T., & Olsson, L. E. (2016). Travel mode use, travel mode shift and subjective well-being - overview of theories, empirical findings and. In Mobility, sociability and well-being of urban living (pp. 129–150). New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48184-4

Ettema, D., Gärling, T., Olsson, L. E., & Friman, M. (2010). Out-of-home activities, daily travel, and subjective well-being. Transportation Research Part A, 44(9), 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2010.07.005

Ettema, D., Gärling, T., Olsson, L. E., Friman, M., & Moerdijk, S. (2013). The road to happiness: Measuring Dutch car drivers’ satisfaction with travel. Transport Policy, 27, 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.12.006

Eurostat. (2018). Statistics on commuting patterns at regional level. Statistics explained, April 2016, 1–20. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Archive:Statistics_on_commuting_patterns_at_regional_level&oldid=295842#Analysis_of_outbound_commuter_flows_by_sex.2C_age_group.2C_educational_attainment_and_economic_activity.

Ewing, R., Haliyur, P., & Page, G. W. (1994). Getting around a traditional city, a suburban planned unit development, and everything in between. Transportation Research Record, 1466, 53–62.

Fang, K., & Ma, S. (2017). Analyzing large datasets with bootstrap penalization. Biometrical Journal, 59(2), 358–376. https://doi.org/10.1002/bimj.201600052

Friman, M., Gärling, T., Ettema, D., & Olsson, L. E. (2017). How does travel affect emotional well-being and life satisfaction? Transportation Research Part A, 106, 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.09.024

Gao, Y., Rasouli, S., Timmermans, H., & Wang, Y. (2017). Understanding the relationship between travel satisfaction and subjective well-being considering the role of personality traits: A structural equation model. Transportation Research Part F, 49, 110–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2017.06.005

Gardner, B. (2009). Modelling motivation and habit in stable travel mode contexts. Transportation Research Part F, 12(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2008.08.001

Gerber, P., El-Geneidy, A., Manaugh, K., & Lord, S. (2020). From workplace attachment to commuter satisfaction before and after a workplace relocation. Transportation Research Part F, 71, 168–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2020.03.022

Graaf-Zijl, M. (2005). The anatomy of job satisfaction and the role of contingent employment contracts (Working paper, No. 05-119/3). Amsterdam: Tinbergen Institute.

Haapakangas, A., Hongisto, V., Varjo, J., & Lahtinen, M. (2018). Benefits of quiet workspaces in open-plan offices – evidence from two office relocations. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 56, 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.03.003

Handy, S., & Thigpen, C. (2018). Commute quality and its implications for commute satisfaction: Exploring the role of mode, location, and other factors. Travel Behavior and Society, 16(March), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2018.03.001

Higgins, C. D., Sweet, M. N., & Kanaroglou, P. S. (2018). All minutes are not equal: Travel time and the effects of congestion on commute satisfaction in Canadian cities. Transportation, 45(5), 1249–1268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-017-9766-2

Hilbrecht, M., Smale, B., & Mock, S. E. (2014). Highway to health? Commute time and well-being among Canadian adults. World Leisure Journal, 56(2), 151–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2014.903723

Hook, H., De Vos, J., Van Acker, V., & Witlox, F. (2021). Do travel options influence how commute time satisfaction relates to the residential built environment? Journal of Transport Geography, 92(March), 103021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103021

Humagain, P., & Singleton, P. A. (2020). Investigating travel time satisfaction and actual versus ideal commute times: A path analysis approach. Journal of Transport and Health, 16, 100829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2020.100829

Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D. A., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2004). A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: The day reconstruction method. Science, 306(5702), 1776–1781.

Kroesen, M. (2014). Assessing mediators in the relationship between commute time and subjective well-being: Structural equation analysis. Transportation Research Record, 2452, 114–123. https://doi.org/10.3141/2452-14

Lancée, S., Veenhoven, R., & Burger, M. (2017). Mood during commute in the Netherlands: What way of travel feels best for what kind of people? Transportation Research Part A, 104, 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.025

Legrain, A., Eluru, N., & El-Geneidy, A. M. (2015). Am stressed, must travel: The relationship between mode choice and commuting stress. Transportation Research Part F, 34, 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2015.08.001

Lin, M., Lucas, H. C., & Shmueli, G. (2013). Too big to fail: Large samples and the p-value problem. Information Systems Research, 24(4), 906–917. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2013.0480

Lorenz, O. (2018). Does commuting matter to subjective well-being? Journal of Transport Geography, 66(April 2017), 180–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.11.019

Lucas, J. L., & Heady, R. B. (2002). Flextime commuters and their driver stress, feelings of time urgency, and commute satisfaction. Journal of Business and Psychology, 16(4), 565–571.

Manaugh, K., & El-Geneidy, A. M. (2013). Does distance matter? Exploring the links among values, motivations, home location, and satisfaction in walking trips. Transportation Research Part A, 50, 198–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2013.01.044

Mao, Z., Ettema, D., & Dijst, M. (2016). Commuting trip satisfaction in Beijing: Exploring the influence of multimodal behavior and modal flexibility. Transportation Research Part A, 94, 592–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2016.10.017

Martin, R. (1999). Adjusting to job relocation: Relocation preparation can reduce relocation stress. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(2), 231–235. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317999166626

McFadden, D. (1999). Rationality for economists? Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 105, 73–74.

Milakis, D., & van Wee, B. (2018). “For me it is always like half an hour”: Exploring the acceptable travel time concept in the US and European contexts. Transport Policy, 64, 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.02.001

Mokhtarian, P. L. (2019). Subjective well‑being and travel — retrospect and prospect. Transportation, 46(2), 493–513.

Mokhtarian, P. L., Papon, F., Goulard, M., & Diana, M. (2015). What makes travel pleasant and/or tiring? An investigation based on the French national travel survey. Transportation, 42(6), 1103–1128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-014-9557-y

Mokhtarian, P. L., & Salomon, I. (2001). How derived is the demand for travel? Some conceptual and measurement considerations. Transportation Research Part A, 35, 695–719.

Morris, E. A., & Guerra, E. (2015). Are we there yet? Trip duration and mood during travel. Transportation Research Part F, 33, 38–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2015.06.003

Morris, E. A., & Hirsch, J. A. (2016). Does rush hour see a rush of emotions? Driver mood in conditions likely to exhibit congestion. Travel Behavior and Society, 5, 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2015.07.002

Mouratidis, K. (2020). Commute satisfaction, neighborhood satisfaction, and housing satisfaction as predictors of subjective well-being and indicators of urban livability. Travel Behavior and Society, 21, 265–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2020.07.006

Mouratidis, K., Ettema, D., & Næss, P. (2019). Urban form, travel behavior, and travel satisfaction. Transportation Research Part A, 129, 306–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.002

Nie, P., & Sousa-Poza, A. (2018). Commute time and subjective well-being in urban China. China Economic Review, 48, 188–204

Phillips, B., Curtiss, P., & Lundskow, G. (2010). Workers’ relationships to their union: The effects of transfer status and race at a U.S. automobile plant. The Social Science Journal, 47(2), 392–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2009.12.001

Redmond, L. S., & Mokhtarian, P. L. (2001). The positive utility of the commute: Modeling ideal commute time and relative desired commute amount. Transportation, 28(2), 179–205. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010366321778

Schwanen, T. (2002). Urban form and commuting behavior: A cross-European perspective. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 93(3), 336–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9663.00206

Schwanen, T., & Dijst, M. (2002). Travel-time ratios for visits to the workplace: The relationship between commuting time and work duration. Transportation Research Part A, 36(7), 573–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0965-8564(01)00023-4

Spreckelmeyer, K. F. (1993). Office relocation and environmental change — a case-study. Environment and Behavior, 25(2), 181–204.

St-Louis, E., Manaugh, K., van Lierop, D., & El-Geneidy, A. (2014). The happy commuter: A comparison of commuter satisfaction across modes. Transportation Research Part F, 26, 160–170.

Stroh, L. K. (1999). Does relocation still benefit corporations and employees? An overview of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 9(3), 279–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1053-4822(99)00022-4

Stutzer, A., & Frey, B. S. (2004). Stress that doesn’t pay: The commuting paradox (Discussion paper no. 1278; Issue 1278). Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor.

van Lierop, D., & El-Geneidy, A. (2016). Enjoying loyalty: The relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in public transit. Research in Transportation Economics, 59, 50–59.

Veenhoven, R. (2012). Evidence based pursuit of happiness — what should we know, do we know and can we get to know? (MPRA Paper 41924) Munich: University Library of Munich.

Waaijer, C. J. F., Belder, R., Sonneveld, H., van Bochove, C. A. & van der Weijden, I. C. M. (2016). Temporary contracts: Effect on job satisfaction and personal lives of recent PhD graduates. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0050-8.

Wallmann-sperlich, B., Hoffmann, S., Salditt, A., Bipp, T., & Froboese, I. (2019). Moving to an “active” biophilic designed office workplace: A pilot study about the effects on sitting time and sitting habits of office-based workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), 1559.

Ye, R., De Vos, J., & Ma, L. (2020). Analyzing the association of dissonance between actual and ideal commute time and commute satisfaction. Transportation Research Part A, 132, 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.011

Ye, R., & Titheridge, H. (2017). Satisfaction with the commute: The role of travel mode choice, built environment and attitudes. Transportation Research Part D, 52, 535–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.06.011

Zarabi, Z., Gerber, P., & Lord, S. (2019). Travel satisfaction vs. life satisfaction: A weighted decision-making approach. Sustainability, 11(19), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195309

Zeid, M. A. (2009). Measuring and modeling activity and travel well-being (doctoral dissertation). Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

Zhao, M., Tyler, N., & Lan, C. (2012). What determines commute time choices? A structural equation modelling approach. Transportation Planning and Technology, 35(4), 393–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2012.680809

Zhu, J., & Fan, Y. (2018). Daily travel behavior and emotional well-being: Effects of trip mode, duration, purpose, and companionship. Transportation Research Part A, 118, 360–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.09.019