| dc.description.abstract | The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of norms on Chinese students
living in the Netherlands transportation mode choice in association with non-study or
work-related purposes during weekends. The data generated for the analysis was collected
based on an online revealed preference (RP) data collected for both Chinese students in
the Netherlanders and China for comparison purposes (total of 150 students).
This paper adopts a Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) for analyzing. The variables
compromise three different dimensions, namely, travel characteristics, socio-demographics,
and norms variables. The variables of travel characteristics and socio-demographics are
derived from previous researches and customized for Chinese students living in China
and the Netherlands. Four different norms are mainly tested and accommodated in the
model. Notably, the framework of the norms is the following study of an extended norms
taxonomy concluded by Wenzig and Gruchmann in 2018. More than the conventional
norms topology, this paper presents personal norms, introjected norms, social norms, and
descriptive norms as the structure of norms. The measurements of norms variables employ
Likert five-scale technique (Likert, 1932). The dependent variable for both of them is
Mode, compromising car, bike, Walk, Public Transport, and Taxi.
The results of two Multinomial Logit models uncover the different mechanisms behind
choice behavior and underline the relationship between norms variables and traffic mode
choice on weekends for a non-work related purpose. For students who live in China, the
factors of age, introjected norm, social norms, yearly budget, income are statistically
significant. Besides, the most influential factors of their traffic mode choice are introjected
norms.
For Chinese students in the Netherlands, none of them selected Car or Taxi. The students
are mainly live in the megalopolis area, which locates in the central-western Netherlands.
For those students, a total of nine variable categories are effective significantly. Except
for introjected norms, descriptive norms and personal norms turned out to play a role in
mode choice. Also, trip characteristics and socio-demographics are statistically significant,
namely the purpose of sport and shopping, the ownership of Chinese transport pass, the
travel cost, the number of a roommate in the Netherlands, Household income level and gender. Similarly, introjected norms remain the most effective factors.
The contributions of this research are three-fold: first, norms variables are effect
significantly in the Multinomial Logit model. Which contributes to proving the importance
of the intervenes of norms. Also, to Students who live in the Netherlands, their mode
choice is influenced by more categories of norms than those in China, which suggest that
Chinese policy-makers should pay more attention to the use of norms tools and value the
new tipping point given by Chinese students as the new generation of behavioral models.
In detail, unlike previous papers, underlined the importance of social norms, introjected
norms (guilty feelings) impact Chinese students’ choice strongest. Lastly, among all the
studies of traffic mode choice, there is an absence of taking Chinese immigrant students
as their research target group. | |
