Work

Transitions into and out of Car Ownership among Low-Income Households in the United States

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: We examine transitions into and out of car ownership among low-income households. We use a novel online survey of U.S. residents to investigate why households lose access to a car, how long they are without a car, why they regain a car, and how these transitions affect their quality of life. We find that car ownership transitions are primarily motivated by economic security and insecurity. The median length of a car-less episode is 1.7 years, while black and Hispanic respondents experienced longer car-less episodes. Despite their precarious grasp on car ownership, respondents felt that owning a car was worth it.

Source: Journal of Planning Education and Research

DOI: 10.1177/0739456x231163755

Authors: Nicholas J. Klein, Rounaq Basu, Michael J. Smart

Institutions: Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Language: English

Topic: Transportation Planning and Optimization

Subfield: Transportation

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4367844458

FWCI: 3.274

Cites: 62

Cited by: 16

Related to: 10