Travel satisfaction is equally important to all age groups

There are differences in how people travel and how they experience their travel, depending on which age group they belong to. Travel satisfaction, however, is equally important to all ages. This according to a new study from CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University. The study is based on public transport passengers from five different life stages.

"Travel satisfaction, which refers to how satisfied you are with your daily travel, has a strong impact on how satisfied people are with their life as a whole. This link is evident for all the age groups in the study," says researcher Katrin Lättman at CTF.

The researchers have studied the significance of different quality aspects, such as comfort, price and safety on the experience of public transport journeys and how this can differ between the different age groups.

"An important conclusion is that if policies and planners focus on improving existing public transport systems by offering good opportunities for safe, comfortable and affordable travel, it can have significant effects both regarding people's experience of the journey itself, but it will likely also increase their life satisfaction," says Katrin Lättman.

The study includes over 3200 people (16-90 years) from Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen and Bergen. The research was carried out with funding from Anne-Marie and Gustaf Ander Foundation and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The article ”Travel and life satisfaction - From Gen Z to the silent generation” is published in the Journal of Transport & Health.