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Attitudes towards public transport in New Zealand

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Abstract

Attitudes towards public transport (PT) in New Zealand’s three largest cities (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) were examined in a cross-sectional survey of drivers. A measure of prejudice to PT was developed to assess the strength and nature of attitudinal differences. Auckland residents had the highest levels of PT prejudice while Wellington residents had the lowest, and these differences were not related to demographic differences between the samples. Direct contact with PT was associated with reduced levels of PT prejudice, but measures of indirect contact, beliefs about using PT, and environmental attitudes were stronger predictors of PT prejudice scores. Controlling for these variables resulted in the difference in PT prejudice levels between Wellington and Christchurch becoming non-significant, while the differences between Auckland and the other two cities remained. This suggests that the difference between Wellington and Christchurch was primarily based on social norms regarding PT prejudice, while quality of service was a factor in the difference between Auckland and the other two cities. It is suggested that campaigns promoting PT ridership should focus both on the quality of service and on presenting PT usage as socially normal.

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Notes

  1. Due to an administration error 27 Wellington surveys were not sent out.

  2. The authors would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Sponsorship Council, PO Box 2142, Wellington, New Zealand

    S. J. Murray & D. Walton

  2. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    D. Walton

  3. Opus Central Laboratories, Wellington, New Zealand

    J. A. Thomas

Authors
  1. S. J. Murray
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  2. D. Walton
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Correspondence to S. J. Murray.

Additional information

S. J. Murray and D. Walton—formerly of Opus Central Laboratories, Wellington, New Zealand.

Appendices

Appendix A. Public transport prejudice scale items. Items in bold were reverse scored

Five-point Likert scale items; Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5)

Public transport is only really an option if the weather is good

The only reason to use public transport is if you can’t afford to drive

Public transport is for people who worry about the environment

My peers would travel by public transport if it was the most convenient way to travel

I would feel embarrassed to tell others that I rely on public transport to travel around

Most people feel comfortable talking to strangers on public transport

People like public transport because of the relaxed atmosphere

People believe that cities are much better with fewer cars

People in my city prefer to travel to work by public transport

People who wear expensive clothes generally feel comfortable on public transport

Subsidies for public transport are a form of social welfare

Most people agree that strange people travel by public transport

People in my city typically feel safe while waiting for public transport

Most people believe that travelling by public transport is a productive use of their time

I have nothing in common with people that take public transport

Public transport is only good for short trips

Travelling by public transport is a good way to meet people

It’s hard to relax on public transport

Owning a reliable car means not having to use public transport

It is mostly young people who use public transport

Public transport enables pensioners to stay mobile

Crime and the public transport system go hand-in-hand

Public transport is used by a lot of new immigrants

Using the public transport system reduces people’s freedom to change their travel plans

Improvements are being made to the public transport system

The public transport system is suitable for most people’s travel needs

In my experience public transport tends to run late

I have found that public transport is generally too crowded

Seven-point semantic differential scales First anchor = 1, second anchor = 7

Set 1.

Compared to driving a car, how is public transport generally perceived in your city?

As taking less time – As taking more time

As less convenient – As more convenient

As less comfortable – As more comfortable

As more safer personally – As less safe personally

As having a lower accident risk – As having a higher accident risk

As less reliable – As more reliable

Set 2.

 

The people who use public transport are seen by most people as…

Friendly

Unfriendly

Public transport vehicles are perceived as…

Dirty

Clean

Most people find the staff on public transport to be…

Good

Bad

Travelling by public transport is perceived as being…

Uncomfortable

Comfortable

Public transport vehicles are generally…

Not crowded

Crowded

Using public transport for general travel purposes is seen as…

Unappealing

Appealing

Appendix B. Environmental attitude scale items. Items in bold were reversed scored

Five-point Likert scale items; Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5)

It is too late to rectify the damage we have done to the environment

Laws to protect the environment should be enforced more strongly

I would sign a petition in support of tougher environmental laws

I would participate in a demonstration against companies that are harming the environment

There is no point in making changes to reduce my vehicle emissions because no one else will change their behaviour

I am very concerned about environmental issues

We must take much stronger measures to conserve our nation’s resources

Public concern for the environment has created unfair burdens on industry

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Murray, S.J., Walton, D. & Thomas, J.A. Attitudes towards public transport in New Zealand. Transportation 37, 915–929 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-010-9303-z

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