The life cycle concept as a tool for travel research

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The life cycle concept as a tool for travel research

Zimmerman, Carol A.

Abstract For understanding individual and household travel behavior, the concept of the life cycle holds promise. The history of this concept is presented, and the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding its use are examined. In travel research, the life-cycle concept tends to be adopted uncritically. Utilizing the 1977 Nationwide Personal Transportation Study, an analysis of travel behavior is presented in an attempt to address some of these inadequacies. A set of five houshold types and their life-cycle stages are identified: the typical (nuclear) family, the single parent family, the childless married couple, the single person household, and households of unrelated individuals, The average daily trip frequencies of households at each life cycle stage are reported. Comparison of trip-making by life-cycle stage for the five household types points to the presence of a life-cycle effect in travel, but the effect appears to consist of two separate components: household structure (the relationships among household members) and the age of household members. Also discussed, but not examined in this study, are other factors potentially contributing to the observed life-cycle patterns. It is concluded that further efforts to deal with the complexities of the life-cycle concept in travel research will be worthwhile. These efforts will provide a framework for viewing travel behavior over the human life span and this will be especially useful in assessing the impact of demographic change for transportation system planning.