Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban and Rural Areas:
Technical Memorandum
Survey Findings - Transportation
by
Natalie Villwock-Witte, Ph.D., P.E.
Assistant Research Professor/Research Engineer
and
Karalyn Clouser
Research Associate
Western Transportation Institute
College of Engineering
Montana State University
A report prepared for the
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT)
Washington State Department of Transportation (WashDOT)
Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
Small Urban and Rural Livability Center (SURLC)
September 26, 2016
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1
Discussion ........................................................................................................................................2
Question 33 – Travel Information........................................................................................... 2
Question 35 – Transportation, Typical Week ....................................................................... 15
Question 36 – Preferred Mode: Work, School, Recreation .................................................. 18
Question 38 – Public Transportation .................................................................................... 24
Question 39 – Bike................................................................................................................ 32
Question 40 & 41 – Public Transportation ........................................................................... 41
Question 42 & 43 – Bikes ..................................................................................................... 42
Question 44 & 45 – Walking ................................................................................................ 44
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................46
References ......................................................................................................................................48
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................49
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List of Tables
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1: Preference for Additional Public Transportation ........................................................ 42
TABLE 2: Preference for More Bicycle Infrastructure ................................................................ 43
TABLE 3: Preference for More Sidewalks ................................................................................... 44
TABLE 4: Travel Information, Number of Urban Respondents Indicating “Yes” ...................... 49
TABLE 5: Travel Information, Number of Rural Respondents Indicating “Yes” ....................... 49
TABLE 6: Millennial, Preference for Public Transportation ....................................................... 50
TABLE 7: Generation X, Preference for Public Transportation .................................................. 51
TABLE 8: Baby Boomer, Preference for Public Transportation .................................................. 52
TABLE 9: Depression & War Babies, Preference for Public Transportation .............................. 53
TABLE 10: Silent Generation, Preference for Public Transportation .......................................... 54
TABLE 11: Millennial Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation ......................................... 55
TABLE 12: Generation X Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation .................................... 56
TABLE 13: Baby Boomer Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation ................................... 57
TABLE 14: Millennial Interest in Additional Walking Facilities ................................................ 58
TABLE 15: Generation X Interest in Additional Walking Facilities ........................................... 59
TABLE 16: Baby Boomer Interest in Additional Walking Facilities........................................... 60
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List of Figures
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Urban vs. Rural Use of Smartphone for Travel Information by Generations ................. 3
Figure 2: Urban vs. Rural Use of a DOT Website for Travel Information by Generations ........... 4
Figure 3: Urban vs. Rural Use of DOT Social Media for Travel Information by Generations ...... 5
Figure 4: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Desktop/Laptop for Travel Information by Generations ........ 6
Figure 5: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Tablet for Travel Information by Generations ....................... 7
Figure 6: Urban vs. Rural Use of Standalone GPS for Travel Information by Generations .......... 8
Figure 7: Urban vs. Rural Use of 511 for Travel Information by Generations .............................. 9
Figure 8: Urban vs. Rural Use of the Radio for Travel Information by Generations ................... 10
Figure 9: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Television for Travel Information by Generations ............... 11
Figure 10: Urban vs. Rural, Millennial Use of Travel Information Sources ................................ 12
Figure 11: Urban vs. Rural, Generation X Use of Travel Information Sources ........................... 13
Figure 12: Urban vs. Rural, Baby Boomer Use of Travel Information Sources .......................... 14
Figure 13: Urban vs. Rural, All Generations, Travel Information Source Use ............................ 15
Figure 14: Urban and Rural Millennials, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week .......... 16
Figure 15: Urban and Rural Generation X, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week....... 17
Figure 16: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomers, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week ... 17
Figure 17: Urban and Rural, Millennials, Preferred Mode for Work ........................................... 19
Figure 18: Urban and Rural, Generation X, Preferred Mode for Work ........................................ 19
Figure 19: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomer, Preferred Mode for Work ....................................... 20
Figure 20: Urban and Rural, Millennial, Preferred Mode for School ........................................... 21
Figure 21: Urban and Rural, Generation X, Preferred Mode for School ...................................... 22
Figure 22: Urban and Rural Millennials, Preferred Mode for Recreation .................................... 23
Figure 23: Urban and Rural Generation X, Preferred Mode for Recreation ................................ 23
Figure 24: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomers, Preferred Mode for Recreation ............................. 24
Figure 25: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement in Choosing Residence Based on
Presence of Public Transportation ........................................................................................ 25
Figure 26: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement in Choosing Residence Based on
Presence of Public Transportation ........................................................................................ 26
Figure 27: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Appealing
Where the Respondent Lives ................................................................................................ 27
Figure 28: Rural Survey Respondents Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Appealing
Where the Respondent Lives ................................................................................................ 28
Figure 29: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation has Stops
Where Needed ....................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 30: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation has Stops
Where Needed ....................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 31: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Timely.. 31
Figure 32: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Timely ... 32
Figure 33: By Generation, Level of Agreement with Influence of Everyday Bicycling to
Residence .............................................................................................................................. 33
Figure 34: By State, Level of Agreement with Influence of Everyday Bicycling to Residence .. 34
Figure 35: Urban vs. Rural Influence of Living Location on Everyday Bicycling for Millennials
............................................................................................................................................... 35
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List of Figures
Figure 36: By Generation, Level of Agreement with Influence of Proximity of Leisure Bicycling
Options to Residence ............................................................................................................ 36
Figure 37: By State, Level of Agreement with Influence of Proximity of Leisure Bicycling
Options to Residence ............................................................................................................ 37
Figure 38: Urban vs. Rural, Influence of Millennial Living Location Based on Proximity of
Leisure Bicycle Facilities ...................................................................................................... 38
Figure 39: All Generations, Agreement Regarding Bicycle Infrastructure .................................. 39
Figure 40: Urban vs. Rural, Millennial Perspective, Bicycle Infrastructure Makes Bicycling
Possible ................................................................................................................................. 40
Figure 41: State by State, All Generations, Bicycle Infrastructure Makes Bicycling Possible .... 41
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Introduction
INTRODUCTION
The Millennial Generation, Americans born between the years of 1982 and 2000, are now the
largest generational cohort in the United States, surpassing the Baby Boomer generation in 2010.
The Millennial Generation is entering the most “productive” period of their life cycle, and
research available to date has concluded that they have significantly different lifestyle and
transportation trends than previous generations (e.g. Generation X and Baby Boomers), which is
leading to a re-evaluation of transportation planning and policy. However, the research to date
has primarily focused on Millennials in urban areas. Little research has been performed to
understand whether or not Millennials residing in rural areas have the same mobility and
livability mindset as those in urban areas. Therefore, this research intends to fill that gap.
A survey, consisting of 60 total questions, was conducted using Survey Sampling Incorporated’s
(SSI) respondents. The survey was deployed in three phases:
1. Via the internet from October 22, 2015 through November 9, 2015,
2. Via the telephone from November 13, 2015 through December 15, 2015, and
3. Via the internet from December 16, 2015 through December 23, 2015.
During each phase of deployment, SSI collected 1,441; 1,188; and 74 surveys, respectively. The
final number of observations retained is 2,519. This results in a total of approximately 297,500
cells of data (several questions had multiple parts to them). The Millennial generation and rural
environments, which were represented by non-metropolitan statistical area, were purposefully
oversampled.
Survey responses were received from five different generations:
•
Millennials (ages 18 to 32 in 2015)
•
Generation X (ages 33 to 50 in 2015)
•
Baby Boomers (ages 51 to 69 in 2015)
•
Depression & War Babies (ages 70 to 85 in 2015)
•
Silent Generation. (older than 85 in 2015)
Three technical memos were developed on the topics of: 1) demographics, 2) lifestyle, and 3)
transportation, based on the questions that were developed for the survey. This technical memo
will discuss transportation preferences of survey respondents.
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Discussion
DISCUSSION
Eleven of the sixty questions from the survey, all relating to the transportation preferences of a
survey respondent, will be discussed in this technical memo. They include:
1) Question 33 – Travel Information
2) Question 35 – Transportation, Typical Week
3) Question 36 – Preferred Mode: Work, School, Recreation
4) Question 38 – Public Transportation
5) Question 39 – Bike
6) Question 40 & 41 – Public Transportation, more?
7) Question 42 & 43 – Bikes, more?
8) Question 44 & 45 – Walking, more?
The subsections that follow discuss the results for each question. As a reminder, urban, as
discussed in the Technical Memo on Demographics, is made up of 1) Big, Dense City, 2) BigCity Suburb, 3) Lower-Density City, and 4) Suburb of Lower-Density City; rural is made up of
1) Small City, 2) Small Town, and 3) Outlying Rural Area. Respondents self-selected their area
type into one of these categories.
Question 33 – Travel Information
Question 33 asked, “How do you obtain travel information? (Please select all that apply.)” Ten
potential options were provided for respondents:
1) Smartphone application (e.g., Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, etc.);
2) Department of transportation (DOT) website;
3) DOT social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook);
4) Desktop or lap top computer using programs like Google Maps or MapQuest;
5) Tablet using programs like Google Maps or MapQuest;
6) Standalone GPS (e.g., Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, etc.);
7) 511;
8) Radio;
9) Television; and
10) Other (please specify).
This section first looks at each travel information source individually. Researchers prepared a
bar graph that shows usage of each source by Millennial, Generation X, and Baby Boomer
generations in urban areas, as compared to rural areas. Then, the usage of the travel information
sources is viewed by generation. Finally, researchers prepared a bar graph that compares usage
of all travel information sources in urban areas with usage in rural areas using the data from all
of the generations. TABLE 4 and TABLE 5 in the Appendix present the exact number of
responses from respondents in each generational cohort in urban areas and in rural areas,
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respectively. The Depression & War Baby and Silent Generation generational cohorts were not
included in the following travel information and generation-specific discussions because of their
small sample sizes.
Smartphone
Figure 1 shows the percentage of Millennial, Generation X and Baby Boomer respondents in
urban areas that use smartphones for travel information, as compared with their counterparts in
rural areas. It shows that the Millennial and Generation X cohorts are similar in that more of
each of these generations use a smartphone for travel information in urban areas as compared
with rural areas. In contrast, Baby Boomers in rural areas reported using smartphones more than
their urban counterparts.
Figure 1: Urban vs. Rural Use of Smartphone for Travel Information by Generations
In addition, a larger percentage of the urban and rural Millennial and Generation X generations
(approximately 80% and 75% for urban and approximately 70% and 65% for rural) make use of
smartphones for travel information as compared with the Baby Boomer generation
(approximately 35% in urban and 45% in rural). Consequently, this supports the perception that
younger generations including Millennials are more likely to adopt technology as compared with
older generational cohorts.
Department of Transportation Website
The DOT website was used for travel information by approximately 20% of urban survey
respondents across the generations (Figure 2). In contrast, for rural survey respondents, a
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graduated increase in reported use was found with each subsequent generation using the
department of transportation by about 5% more (e.g. 22% for Millennials, 27% for Generation X,
and 32% for Baby Boomers).
Figure 2: Urban vs. Rural Use of a DOT Website for Travel Information by Generations
Department of Transportation Social Media
For both urban and rural areas, the Millennial generation had the largest percentage of users of
DOT social media followed by Generation X and then the Baby Boomers (Figure 3).
Interestingly, a larger percentage of rural Baby Boomers used DOT social media when compared
with their urban counterparts. A similar pattern was found for the Baby Boomer generation for
the use of the DOT website and smartphones.
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Figure 3: Urban vs. Rural Use of DOT Social Media for Travel Information by Generations
Desktop or Laptop
Both urban and rural Baby Boomers had a larger percentage of survey respondents that made use
of a desktop or laptop to access travel information as compared with Millennials and Generation
X (Figure 4). Approximately 50% of the Millennial and Generation X respondents from both
urban and rural areas indicated that they used a desktop or laptop. Similarly, Baby Boomers
reported approximately the same level of use at around 67% in both urban and rural areas.
Because of the consistency of reported use in both urban and rural areas, these results suggest
that a desktop/laptop is a well-established technology.
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Figure 4: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Desktop/Laptop for Travel Information by Generations
Tablet
As a whole, for both urban and rural respondents, across all generations, approximately thirty
percent of all survey respondents indicated using a tablet for travel information (Figure 5).
Urban Baby Boomers reported a slightly lower use than urban Millennials and Generation X
survey respondents. Generation X reported a slightly lower use than rural Millennials and Baby
Boomers.
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Figure 5: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Tablet for Travel Information by Generations
Standalone GPS
As a whole, it appears that standalone GPS is more popular with rural as compared to urban
survey respondents (Figure 6). The preference for standalone GPS in rural areas could reflect the
limited cell phone reception available in rural areas thereby limiting the ability for one to use a
Waze application or the like. Standalone GPS was far more popular with rural Baby Boomers
than with respondents from other categories.
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Figure 6: Urban vs. Rural Use of Standalone GPS for Travel Information by Generations
511
511 was more popular with rural survey respondents across all generations. Nevertheless, the
maximum reported use at about 10% makes it one of the least popular travel information sources
(Figure 7). In addition, while there is only a small difference between each successive
generation, for rural survey respondents, the Baby Boomer generation reported using 511 most
frequently.
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Figure 7: Urban vs. Rural Use of 511 for Travel Information by Generations
Radio
Radio was more popular for rural survey respondents as compared with urban survey
respondents across all generations (Figure 8). Still, the difference is relatively small
(approximately 35% vs. 30%). The smallest difference in reported use was found between urban
and rural Millennials, which is a bit surprising considering that radio is a well-established
technology.
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Figure 8: Urban vs. Rural Use of the Radio for Travel Information by Generations
Television
Rural Baby Boomers, by far, reported using television for travel information the most (about
45%) (Figure 9). In contrast, urban Millennials reported using television for travel information
the least (about 28%). Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, which do not have local
channels, have become popular in recent years and may be replacing the use of cable TV by
many Millennials. These options tend to be more cost effective than cable TV. The percentage
of urban Generation X and Baby Boomers and rural Millennials and Generation X who use a
television as their source for travel information is approximately equal (about 30%), which is
somewhere between urban Millennials and rural Baby Boomers.
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Figure 9: Urban vs. Rural Use of a Television for Travel Information by Generations
When considering travel information sources, the Millennial and Generation X generations
tended to use more of the emerging, dynamic technologies (e.g., smartphone, social media) as
compared with the Baby Boomer generation that tended to use more static, less interactive
technologies (e.g., a desktop/laptop, standalone GPS, or TV).
The next three sections look at preferences for travel information sources by each generation:
Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. These sections compare responses from urban
and rural respondents within each generation.
Millennials, All Sources
Figure 10 shows that Millennials, in both urban and rural areas, primarily rely on their
smartphones for travel information. A desktop/laptop is the second most popular source for
travel information for both areas. 511 is the least popular source for travel information for both
urban and rural areas.
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Figure 10: Urban vs. Rural, Millennial Use of Travel Information Sources
It appears that in general, for both urban and rural Millennial survey respondents, the ranking of
most frequently to least frequently used travel information source is: 1) smartphones, 2)
desktop/laptop, 3) a tablet, 4) the radio, 5) television, 6) the DOT website, 7) standalone GPS, 8)
DOT social media, and 9) 511.
Generation X, All Sources
Similar to Millennials, Generation X respondents rely on their smartphones as their first source
for travel information (Figure 11). A desktop/laptop is also the second most popular source for
travel information. 511 also appears to be the least popular travel information source.
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Figure 11: Urban vs. Rural, Generation X Use of Travel Information Sources
Whereas for Millennials, the reported use of each travel information source was almost
consistent between both area types, for Generation X, there is variability in popularity between
urban and rural respondents for use of the DOT website, tablet, radio and television. For urban
and rural Generation X survey respondents, the smartphone, desktop/laptop and tablet are the
three most popular travel information sources. The three least popular travel information sources
are (from least popular to more popular) 511, DOT social media, and standalone GPS.
Baby Boomers, All Sources
Baby Boomers as a whole have different travel information preferences when compared with the
younger generations, hinting that they have less of a preference for some of the more recent
technological offerings (Figure 12). A desktop/laptop was the most popular source. This would
imply that this generation would least benefit from real-time information because travel
information from this source could be outdated or would remain static, say for example if a Baby
Boomer printed directions from and to a location.
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Figure 12: Urban vs. Rural, Baby Boomer Use of Travel Information Sources
The Baby Boomer generation’s least used travel information sources were consistent with the
younger generations: standalone GPS, DOT social media, and 511. Baby Boomers differ from
the two younger generations in that television is one of the top three travel information sources.
Figure 10 through Figure 12 show that obtaining travel information with a desktop or laptop was
the second most popular source for Millennials and Generation X and the most popular source
for Baby Boomers. The smartphone was the most popular source for travel information by both
Millennials and Generation X and in the top three most used sources by both urban and rural
Baby Boomers. 511 was generally the least popular source of travel information for all
generations, although when comparing rural Baby Boomers to urban Baby Boomers, 511 was
more popular among rural Baby Boomers than DOT social media was among urban Baby
Boomers.
Travel Information, All Generations
Error! Reference source not found. shows the average percentage of survey respondents, by
urban and rural areas, across all generations (includes Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers,
Depression & War Babies, and Silent Generation), that indicated that they used each travel
information source.
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Figure 13: Urban vs. Rural, All Generations, Travel Information Source Use
Error! Reference source not found. shows that the two most favored sources for travel
information by urban survey respondents are the same as those favored by rural survey
respondents: smartphone and desktop/laptop. The two least favorite travel information sources
are DOT social media and 511.
State DOTs have been interested in using social media to push out information related to
construction and traffic incidents to travelers. However, it appears that collectively, this is a
relatively unpopular travel information source. In contrast, if this information can be integrated
into the information that users see within their smartphone, it would likely be much more
effective (e.g. Waze). Some state DOTs, like Iowa, have begun to partner with Waze
(IOWADOT, 2015). Even so, state DOTs may first need to develop a better understanding of
the value as compared with the cost of using 511 and DOT social media.
Question 35 – Transportation, Typical Week
Question 35 asked, “In a typical week, which of the following forms of transportation do you
use? (Check all that apply.)” Thirteen potential transportation modes were listed:
1) Automobile;
2) Carpool/vanpool;
3) Rideshare (e.g. Lyft, Uber);
4) Carshare (e.g., Car2Go, HOURCAR, Zipcar);
5) Bus;
6) Regional/National Rail (e.g., Amtrak, Northstar);
7) Light Rail;
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8) Walk;
9) Bicycle;
10) Taxi;
11) Ferry;
12) Airplane; and
13) Other (please specify).
Figure 14, Figure 15, and Figure 16 present the percentages of urban and rural survey
respondents from the Millennial, Generation X, and Baby Boomer generations, respectively, that
indicated that they used each mode in a typical week. The figures show that Millennials, while
not abandoning the automobile as a travel mode, are more likely than the other generations,
particularly the Baby Boomer generation, to use a multitude of modes. Keep in mind that the
current transportation system is designed for travel by a private vehicle, making it very hard to
completely abandon the use of one. The researchers conclude that Millennials are not
abandoning the automobile as a mode, rather they are choosing a mode that better fits the trip,
thereby making the automobile one of many modes that they may choose from. In addition, all
of the figures show that in rural areas, the automobile tends to be used more, and the alternative
modes tend to be used less, most likely because some may not be as readily available in rural
areas.
Figure 14: Urban and Rural Millennials, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week
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Figure 15: Urban and Rural Generation X, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week
Figure 16: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomers, Typical Transportation Modes Used in a Week
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The figures also show a similar pattern as the figures for use of travel information sources.
When comparing responses among generational cohorts (e.g. Millennials, to Generation X to
Baby Boomers), the adoption of emerging technologies (e.g. smartphone, rideshare) decreases as
the age of respondents increases.
Question 36 – Preferred Mode: Work, School, Recreation
Question 36 asked, “What is your preferred mode of travel?” with the following “To Work, To
School, To Recreational Activities.” The same modes that were identified in Question 35 were
made available in a drop down list for this question:
• Automobile;
• Carpool/vanpool;
• Rideshare (e.g. Lyft, Uber);
• Carshare (e.g., Car2Go, HOURCAR, Zipcar);
• Bus;
• Regional/National Rail (e.g., Amtrak, Northstar);
• Light Rail;
• Walk;
• Bicycle;
• Taxi;
• Ferry; and
• Airplane.
Question 35 asked survey respondents what transportation modes they use in a typical week.
However, the transportation mode actually used by survey respondents may not necessarily be
their preferred mode if given the choice or if different options were available. Therefore, this
question tried to gain a better understanding of this perspective. In addition, it is known that
depending on the type or purpose of a specific trip, a survey respondent may prefer a different
mode. Say, for example, that one was going to a grocery store. It would be more likely that
shoppers would want to choose a mode that would allow them to easily transport their groceries,
unless they only purchased a small amount of groceries at a time. For this question, a respondent
was only allowed to choose one mode.
Preferred Mode - Work
When survey respondents was asked about their preferred mode to work, the majority of
respondents for all generations identified the automobile (Figure 17, Figure 18, and Figure 19).
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Figure 17: Urban and Rural, Millennials, Preferred Mode for Work
Figure 18: Urban and Rural, Generation X, Preferred Mode for Work
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Figure 19: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomer, Preferred Mode for Work
However, as seen in Question 35, the automobile was not the only mode identified by Millennial
survey respondents. In fact, they tended to identify a variety of modes. For all generations, the
automobile was preferred by far fewer urban respondents when compared with their rural
counterparts. In addition, the difference between the Millennial urban and rural survey
respondents’ preference for using an automobile to travel to work had the largest difference
when compared with the difference between urban and rural respondents for other generations
(11%, 8% and 3% for Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers). Interestingly, while the
Millennial and Baby Boomer survey respondents for both rural and urban areas indicated a
consistent 2% response rate for riding a bicycle as their preferred mode to work, 3% of rural
Generation X survey respondents indicated that they preferred to ride their bike to work as
compared with 2% of urban Generation X. There are hints that Generation X, when compared
with the generations that surround them, have a greater preference for the bicycle. Further
research could help to better understand whether or not this is the case. Another interesting
highlight is that Baby Boomers seem to have a greater preference for walking. In fact,
Millennials and Baby Boomers seem to have similar preferences for walking in contrast with
Generation X.
Preferred Mode - School
With regard to survey respondents’ preferred travel mode to school, only the results for
Millennials and Generation X are presented because so few Baby Boomer survey respondents
indicated that they were in school. For both generations, the majority of survey respondents
indicated a preference for an automobile. However, as compared with the responses for a work
trip where approximately 75% and 80% of Millennial and Generation X survey respondents
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indicated using an automobile, about 50% of Millennials and 60% of Generation X indicated
using an automobile for school trips. That is an approximately 25% and 20% difference, hinting
that the automobile is still viewed as a dependable mode of travel to work. For many, the
consequences of being late to work are graver than those for arriving late to school.
Figure 20: Urban and Rural, Millennial, Preferred Mode for School
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Figure 21: Urban and Rural, Generation X, Preferred Mode for School
An interesting difference between the generations is that it appears that Millennials prefer to
walk to school whereas Generation X prefers to take the bus to school. This could be somewhat
tied to the proximity of a survey respondent’s residence to the school. In addition, some of the
more recent transportation mode offerings, like rideshare and carshare, seem to have been
adopted more by Millennials than Generation X for transportation to school. Also, while both
the Millennials and Generation X have some percentage of both urban and rural survey
respondents who prefer to use a bicycle, Generation X rural survey respondents have a higher
percentage than even urban Millennial survey respondents. Again, there is a hint that Generation
X may have a greater preference for bus and bicycle modes than the Millennial generation.
Again, it could be that these modes provide an alternative to making a trip by automobile even
though Generation X survey respondents may not live near their educational institution. More
research is needed on this topic.
Preferred Mode - Recreation
Overall, a similar pattern is seen for recreation as compared with work trips in that Millennials
are more multimodal and Baby Boomers more mono-modal, with Generation X falling
somewhere in between (Figure 22, Figure 23, Figure 24).
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Figure 22: Urban and Rural Millennials, Preferred Mode for Recreation
Figure 23: Urban and Rural Generation X, Preferred Mode for Recreation
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Figure 24: Urban and Rural, Baby Boomers, Preferred Mode for Recreation
When looking at Figure 17, Figure 18, Figure 20, Figure 21, Figure 22, and Figure 23, it appears
that Generation X has more of an interest than Millennials in bicycling for work and school (e.g.
utilitarian trips). Millennials, particularly urban Millennials, appear to view bicycling as one of
their preferred modes for recreation. Similarly, whereas fewer Millennials appeared to prefer the
bus when compared with Generation X for utilitarian modes, when it comes to recreation, a
larger percentage of Millennials indicated a preference for the bus when recreating. When it
comes to recreation, both urban and rural Baby Boomers seem to prefer the automobile. In
addition, the percentage of both urban and rural Baby Boomers indicating a preference for the
automobile for recreation purposes is only slightly less than those indicating a preference for the
automobile for work purposes.
Question 38 – Public Transportation
Question 38 asked, “Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about
public transportation (e.g., by bus, train) where you live.” A qualitative scale from agreement to
disagreement was given as follows: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly
Disagree. Four statements were presented:
1) Public transportation was an important factor in choosing where I currently live.
2) Public transportation is an appealing transportation option in my community.
3) Public transportation has stops where I need to go.
4) Public transportation can get me where I want to go in a reasonable amount of time.
The following sections present the results for each sub-question.
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Discussion
Factor in choice of residence
First, the responses by urban survey respondents across generations are shown in Figure 25.
Figure 25: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement in Choosing Residence Based on Presence of
Public Transportation
Figure 25 shows that the urban Baby Boomer generation respondents indicated that public
transportation was not a factor in where they live. In contrast, while still largely negative, urban
Millennials provided some indication that the presence of public transportation had some
influence on their residence location, with collectively just under half choosing “Neutral,”
“Agree,” and “Strongly Agree.” In addition, a small percentage of urban Millennials, as
compared with urban Generation X and urban Baby Boomers, chose “Strongly Disagree,” which
also provides the hint that they are more receptive of public transportation as a possible
consideration when choosing where to live. In general, these results suggest that urban
Millennials are more different than urban Generation X and urban Baby Boomer survey
respondents.
Figure 26 presents the rural survey responses by generation regarding their level of agreement
that their housing location was influenced by the presence of public transportation.
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Discussion
Figure 26: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement in Choosing Residence Based on Presence of
Public Transportation
Compared with Figure 25 which generally slanted towards non-agreement, Figure 26 has a
definite bias toward non-agreement. The level of agreement by rural Millennials seems to be
more consistent with the level of agreement by rural Generation X and Baby Boomer survey
respondents. As a whole, the percentage of survey respondents in rural locations largely
indicated that the presence of public transportation was not a factor in where they live.
For this question, eighty percent of rural Baby Boomers indicated that they “Disagree” or
“Strongly Disagree” that public transportation influences where they live. A larger percentage of
rural Generation X indicated that they “Strongly Agree” with this statement when compared with
the rural Millennial generation. One possible explanation is that at this point in their life, rural
Millennials may not have as much choice in their location of residence whereas Generation X
may have moved from a previous location to their present residence, where public transportation
had some influence on their move.
Appealing
Figure 27 shows the percentage of urban survey respondents by generation who indicated that
public transportation was appealing where they live.
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Discussion
Figure 27: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Appealing Where the
Respondent Lives
As a whole, the majority of urban survey respondents seemed to indicate affirmatively that
public transportation where they live presented some appeal. The urban Baby Boomer
generation when compared with urban Millennial and urban Generation X, again, seemed to
show the lowest level of agreement. However, it is notable that for the “Strongly Agree,”
“Agree,” and “Neutral” categories, all generations were relatively consistent. The question is,
when almost 45% of each generation indicates that public transportation is appealing where they
live, what is inhibiting a large portion of these people from using it? Does this mean that it is
just not appealing enough when compared with using one’s private vehicle?
Figure 28 shows the percentages of rural survey respondents’ level of agreement by generation
that public transportation is an appealing factor where they live.
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Discussion
Figure 28: Rural Survey Respondents Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Appealing Where the
Respondent Lives
Whereas Figure 27 seemed to show more divided responses across all levels of agreement,
Figure 28 seems to show a more negative level of agreement overall. Therefore, public
transportation does not appear to be appealing, as whole, to the majority of respondents living in
rural areas.
Again, similar to the responses for other questions, rural Baby Boomers have the highest
percentage of rural survey respondents who indicated that they “Strongly Disagree” that public
transportation is appealing where they live. Yet, this could potentially indicate that they live in
locations with limited public transportation offerings. In contrast, there is a larger percentage of
rural Baby Boomers when compared with both rural Millennials and rural Generation X that also
“Agree.” This could hint that there is some inconsistency among the Baby Boomer generation
living in rural areas when it comes to opinions on public transportation.
Where I Need to Go
When comparing the responses between urban and rural survey respondents for Millennials,
Generation X, and Baby Boomers (Figure 29 and Figure 30), the results seem to show that urban
survey respondents can get to where they want to go using public transportation much easier than
rural survey respondents. One can clearly see the larger bars shift from the left in Figure 29 to
the right in Figure 30. This could be reflective of the limited amount of public transportation
available in rural environments.
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Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Discussion
Figure 29: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation has Stops Where Needed
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Discussion
Figure 30: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation has Stops Where Needed
In addition, urban Millennials seem to be in agreement the most, whereas both urban and rural
Baby Boomers seem to be in least agreement. There have been several instances where these
two sub-groups have shown a substantial disparity in their answers. It could therefore be that
popular media and research to date has picked up this difference.
Timeliness
Figure 31 and Figure 32 show the level of agreement by urban and rural survey respondents,
respectively, across generations regarding the statement that public transportation is timely.
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Discussion
Figure 31: Urban Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Timely
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Discussion
Figure 32: Rural Survey Respondents’ Level of Agreement, Public Transportation is Timely
While for urban survey respondents the level of agreement is more evenly distributed, for rural
survey respondents, there is a bias towards non-agreement. For both urban and rural Baby
Boomer survey respondents, there is a larger percentage of Baby Boomers with the view that
public transportation is not very timely, as compared with Millennials and Generation X.
The responses for timeliness are similar to the responses for the appeal of public transportation
and the availability of stops for public transportation.
Question 39 – Bike
Question 39 asked, “Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about
bicycling where you live.” The respondent was given a five point rating scale of: Strongly
Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Three statements were provided:
1) Being able to bike for everyday travel influenced where I chose to live.
2) I chose where I live based on proximity of leisure bicycling options.
3) The presence of bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, and/or bike share make bicycle
transportation possible where I live.
The following sections present the results for each sub-question.
Everyday Bicycle Travel
When considering responses of the influence of being able to bicycle for everyday travel by
one’s living location by generation, there seems to be more of a difference when comparing the
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Discussion
younger generations to the Baby Boomers (Figure 33). While overall most survey respondents
disagree, there seem to be a lot more support for the statement among the younger generations
(Millennials and Generation X).
Figure 33: By Generation, Level of Agreement with Influence of Everyday Bicycling to Residence
Hence, similar to the results for public transportation (see previous section), the presence of
provisions that support bicycling does not seem to have a large influence on where respondents
live. Even so, only a few locations in the U.S. have a bicycling infrastructure that would likely
support a wide demographic of users (i.e., Boulder, CO). To investigate further, the results were
analyzed from a state perspective (Figure 34). Minnesota and Washington seem to have the
largest percentage of survey respondents, when compared to Montana and Wisconsin, who
indicated the ability to bicycle for everyday travel influences their living location. They also had
the fewest who “Strongly Disagree[d].” In 2015, these two states were ranked as the top Bike
Friendly States, whereas Wisconsin was ranked at 9 and Montana at 46 (League of American
Wheelmen, Inc., n.d.).
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Discussion
Figure 34: By State, Level of Agreement with Influence of Everyday Bicycling to Residence
When considering the influence of area type on preference for everyday bicycling facilities
within the Millennial generation, there is clearly more of an influence on living location for
urban Millennials as compared with rural Millennials (Figure 35).
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Discussion
Figure 35: Urban vs. Rural Influence of Living Location on Everyday Bicycling for Millennials
Considering the reported interest by rural Generation X in bicycling as seen in earlier questions,
the researchers plotted the urban vs. rural level of agreements. The results were similar to
Millennials (Figure 35); however, the percentage of Generation X survey respondents selecting
categories of agreement was lower. Therefore, that interest does not seem to relate to the
question of whether being able to bicycle for everyday travel has an influence on choosing a
residence location.
Proximity of Leisure Bicycling Options
Overall, the proximity of bicycle leisure options does not seem to impact one’s choice of housing
location, regardless of the generation, as the majority of survey respondents “Disagreed” or
“Strongly Disagreed” with this statement (Figure 36). Baby Boomers were the generation that
had the largest number of survey respondents who strongly disagreed.
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Discussion
Figure 36: By Generation, Level of Agreement with Influence of Proximity of Leisure Bicycling Options to
Residence
Of note, the responses from one state, Washington, provided hints of a slight difference when
comparing the survey respondents of this state to others (Figure 37). Washington has the fewest
number of survey respondents choosing “Disagree.” More notably, it has a larger percentage of
survey respondents who chose “Strongly Agree.” Furthermore, similar to the results found for
the previous question, Minnesota survey respondents also showed slightly more signs of
agreement.
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Discussion
Figure 37: By State, Level of Agreement with Influence of Proximity of Leisure Bicycling Options to
Residence
When considering Millennials only, more Millennials in urban areas indicated that they chose
their living location based on the proximity of leisure bicycling options (Figure 38). This result
correlates well with the findings from the earlier question that asked survey respondents about
their preferred mode for recreation; of the non-automobile modes that were reported, bicycling
was one of the leading modes reported by Millennials. However, as a whole, the majority of
respondents indicated that the proximity of leisure bicycling options was not a significant factor
in where they chose to live.
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Discussion
Figure 38: Urban vs. Rural, Influence of Millennial Living Location Based on Proximity of Leisure Bicycle
Facilities
Bicycle Infrastructure Makes Bicycling Possible Where I Live
Figure 39 shows that there was a different pattern of responses to the statement that the presence
of infrastructure facilitates bicycling. Compared with many other responses which showed either
an extreme negative or a more even distribution of level of agreement, there is a peak for
“Agree” and two more for “Disagree” and “Strongly Disagree.” Few respondents “Strongly
Agree” or are “Neutral.”
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Discussion
Figure 39: All Generations, Agreement Regarding Bicycle Infrastructure
The Baby Boomer generation shows differences from the average for the “Neutral” and
“Strongly Disagree” category. This could imply that they do not believe that there are a
sufficient number of bicycle lanes, bicycle pathways and bike share options that would enable
them to bicycle.
Figure 40 shows that in general, urban Millennials are in agreement and rural Millennials are in
disagreement regarding whether bicycling infrastructure, like bike lanes and bike sharing
options, enable the Millennials to bicycle where they live.
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Discussion
Figure 40: Urban vs. Rural, Millennial Perspective, Bicycle Infrastructure Makes Bicycling Possible
Figure 41 shows that the majority of survey respondents in every state are more likely to be in
disagreement than agreement that there is enough bicycling infrastructure in their state.
Somewhat unexpected, Montana and Wisconsin have larger percentages of survey respondents
who agree that there is enough bicycling infrastructure, even though one typically thinks of
Seattle and Minneapolis as “bike-meccas.” In addition, as discussed previously, Washington
State and Minnesota are ranked above Wisconsin and Montana as “bike friendly states.” In a
subsequent question that asks survey respondents why or why not they feel that more bicycle
infrastructure is needed, several respondents indicated that they prefer not to have money spent
on such facilities or offerings. Therefore, it could be that in Montana and Wisconsin, this
sentiment is stronger and is reflected here.
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Discussion
Figure 41: State by State, All Generations, Bicycle Infrastructure Makes Bicycling Possible
Question 40 & 41 – Public Transportation
Question 40 asked, “Would you like to see more public transportation (e.g., bus, train) options
where you live? Question 41 asked, “Why or why not?”
In general, it appears that survey respondents are interested in more public transportation
options, particularly among the younger generations (TABLE 1). Generation X showed an
equivalent preference for more public transportation by urban respondents as compared with
Millennials, and a greater preference when compared with rural survey respondents. Detailed
tables regarding interest for additional public transportation can be found in the Appendix. The
results are surprising as compared to other studies to date, which indicate that the Millennial
generation has a strong preference for alternative transportation options, like public
transportation. In contrast, the Baby Boomer generation seems to be less interested in additional
public transportation options, with a greater interest from the rural survey respondents as
compared with urban survey respondents.
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Discussion
TABLE 1: Preference for Additional Public Transportation
Urban
Rural
Millennial
63%
54%
Generation X
63%
56%
Baby Boomers
45%
56%
Depression & War Babies*
37%
47%
Silent Generation*
50%
50%
* Small sample size
Some respondents were in support of additional public transportation because they believe that
the options currently available to them are ineffective.
“Takes too long now.”
Others indicated a preference for more public transportation as a mechanism to support the
health of people, the environment, or for social justice.
“…saves the planet from a lot of extra pollution.”
The survey respondents who indicated that no more public transportation is needed often
responded that there is “enough,” that they do not use it, or that they do not believe that it fits the
context in which they live.
“I think there is already enough.”
“I live in a small town and I want to keep it that way.”
Question 42 & 43 – Bikes
Question 42 asked, “Would you like to see more bike lanes, multi-use paths, and/or bike share
where you live?” Question 43 asked, “Why or why not?”
As a whole, survey respondents do not appear to have an interest in having additional bike lanes,
multi-use paths, and/or bike share systems where they live (TABLE 2).
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Discussion
TABLE 2: Preference for More Bicycle Infrastructure
Urban
Rural
Millennial
51%
50%
Generation X
48%
51%
Baby Boomers
36%
49%
Depression & War Babies*
34%
30%
Silent Generation*
0%
25%
* Small sample size
Detailed tables of survey responses by the Millennial, Generation X, and Baby Boomer
generations can be found in the Appendix. There seems to be more support across all
generations for additional public transportation than for more bicycle infrastructure. However, it
should be noted that the survey respondents in this study had a larger representation of women as
compared with men. Women are known to bicycle less often when compared with men.
Those that are in support of bicycling view increased infrastructure as a way to alleviate some
current problems, like bicycle/vehicle interactions, crowding within the bicycle paths/lanes, or
for environmental reasons.
“Hopefully would be safer for bikers and drivers.”
“Added bike lanes will help us bikers travel more places within the city. Having more bike lanes
would also improve safety for both bikers and motorists.”
“I love to bike. I used to only use a bicycle until I had children.”
“Biking is a great form of exercise. Biking creates a presence for bikers and gives awareness to
drivers to share the road.”
Those that are not in support of more bicycling indicated that they do not bike, feel that there are
already enough facilities, or do not see the value.
“In Minnesota, it snows a lot like for nine months, so it’s not suitable to use a bike.”
“Nobody bikes here.”
“We have plenty.”
“I do not use [a] bicycle.”
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Discussion
“I live out in the country.”
Question 44 & 45 – Walking
Question 44 asked, “Would you like to see more sidewalks where you live?” Question 45
followed-up with “Why or why not?”
TABLE 3 shows that in general, survey respondents are not supportive of additional sidewalks,
with only urban Millennials and urban Generation X survey respondents having more than fifty
percent of survey respondents in support. Additionally, urban survey respondents indicate a
reduced preference for additional sidewalks as the age of the generation increases. In contrast,
rural respondents do not seem to see a benefit in additional sidewalks in rural areas.
Furthermore, rural Millennials and Baby Boomers seem to have a similar preference for
additional sidewalks, although it is still less than fifty percent of respondents among each
generational cohort.
TABLE 3: Preference for More Sidewalks
Urban
Rural
Millennial
57%
48%
Generation X
52%
42%
Baby Boomers
36%
46%
Depression & War Babies*
40%
42%
Silent Generation*
50%
38%
* Small sample size
When asked why, some of the explanations from those in support of more sidewalks include
health, transportation options, and safety, particularly that of children:
“There are several streets that don’t have sidewalks.”
“Because every couple of years a child gets killed where I live because there are no sidewalks.”
“Improving walkability makes local shopping options more convenient and safer for users.”
“There are none! I hate seeing children, even 5-9 year olds, going to school or walking/running
on the side of the road. Easier for chance of a kid getting hit or abducted.”
Some of the explanations from those not in support include there are enough, that they do not fit
within the context of the space, or that it is too expensive:
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Discussion
“[T]hey’re pretty much everywhere in Minneapolis.”
“The city has adequate sidewalks.”
“I don’t want local taxes to go up for paying them.”
“I live in a rural area so it isn’t realistic.”
“I greatly appreciate trees. They are for the trees and because it will be occupied by cement.”
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Conclusions
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, Millennials are adopting more recent technological innovations that make obtaining
transportation information and travel easier (e.g. smartphones and rideshare). However, they do
not seem to be willing to abandon the automobile as a mode of transportation. Instead, they are
replacing some trips that may have previously been made using an automobile with other modes,
like walking, public transportation, or rideshare. This could, in part, reflect the limited ability
and lack of infrastructure to support other modes.
By far, the smartphone was the most preferred travel information source, being first for both the
Millennial and Generation X survey respondents, and in the top three for Baby Boomer survey
respondents. DOT social media and 511 were consistently the least used travel information
source as identified by all generations. While DOTs have tried to use social media to provide
users with information about construction and traffic incidents in a more dynamic fashion, the
information might be better received or used more frequently if packaged within a smartphone
application (e.g. Waze).
As a whole, Millennials and Generation X seem to have similar preferences for emerging
technology sources for travel information (e.g. smartphone), whereas Baby Boomers seem to
prefer those that are more static (e.g. a desktop/laptop).
When considering the modes of transportation that survey respondents reported using in a typical
week, Millennials have not abandoned the use of an automobile. Instead, it appears that they
exchanged some trips that in the past they would have taken with an automobile for other
alternatives, such as walking, biking, ridesharing, carsharing or public transportation.
Millennials, therefore, as compared with previous generations, appear to be more multimodal. In
addition, the data show that those in rural areas tend to rely on the automobile more than those in
urban areas, but in part, this could be a reflection of the available options.
Consistent with the findings for travel information, Millennials appear to be the most receptive to
emerging technologies (e.g. rideshare), with each successive generation less-so.
Survey respondents were presented with a range of travel modes to ask them their preferred
mode for each of three trip types: work, school and recreation. The Baby Boomer generation
consistently reported the automobile as the preferred mode. A large percentage of Millennial
and Generation X survey respondents also indicated that they preferred the automobile for all trip
purposes; however, the percentages were about 20 to 30% less than the preference rates for Baby
Boomers. Considering trip purpose, whereas Generation X seemed to prefer the bicycle and bus
modes for utilitarian trips like work and school, the Millennial generation indicated more of an
interest for these modes for recreation.
Survey respondents were asked to provide their level of agreement regarding the influence of
public transportation on where they chose to live, whether or not public transportation was
appealing, whether or not they believed that there were enough public transportation stops, and
whether or not public transportation was timely. As a whole, it appears that public transportation
provisions do not have an influence on any generation regarding where they live. For both the
appeal of public transportation and the timeliness of public transportation, urbanites of all
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Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Conclusions
generations seemed to be more evenly distributed in their level of agreement. In contrast, rural
survey respondents seem to be in non-agreement regarding the appeal and timeliness of public
transportation. Moreover, responses regarding appeal and timeliness were similar for both urban
and rural survey respondents; therefore, it appears that the appeal of public transportation is
tightly linked to its ability to serve people in a timely manner. When asked about the availability
of stops, whereas urban survey respondents tended to indicate that stops were located where they
needed to be, rural survey respondents generally disagreed.
Survey respondents, as a whole, were not interested in additional bike lanes, bike pathways or
bike share. Most often, survey respondents who did not see the need for additional bike lanes,
bike pathways or bike share indicated that they do not bike or they felt that there were enough
facilities. Yet, as discussed in the technical memorandum on demographics, some of this could
be influenced by the larger representation of women survey respondents.
When asked about whether or not they were supportive of additional sidewalks, as a whole, most
respondents did not see a need. This sentiment was particularly true of rural survey respondents.
Millennial and Generation X survey respondents who lived in urban areas were more receptive to
additional sidewalks. Most often, respondents who were not supportive of additional sidewalks
indicated that there were already enough.
As compared with previous generations, Millennials are using the automobile less. They seem to
be making use of technologies that provide better information and more options. However, there
is a need to better understand specific differences in preferences between the Millennial
generation and Generation X. For example, Generation X appears to have a greater interest in
bicycling, particularly in rural areas.
Baby Boomers, as a whole, seem to be making use of the technologies that they are comfortable
with, which tend to be less dynamic. In addition, those who are not interested in additional
alternative transportation provisions seem to indicate that they either do not use them or that they
believe there are enough. Their responses hint that they do not see the value in investing money
into more bike lanes, bike paths, sidewalks or additional public transportation service.
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References
REFERENCES
Breakaway Research Group. (2015). U.S. Bicycling Participation Benchmarking Study Report.
PeopleForBikes.
Howden, L. M. (2011, May). Age and Sex Composition: 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2016, from
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf
IOWADOT. (2015, August 17). Iowa DOT Joins Waze Connected Citizens Program to Give
Motorists in Iowa Access to More Real-Time Traveler Information. Retrieved from Iowa
DOT News Releases: http://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2015/08/iowa-dotjoins-waze-connected-citizens-program-to-give-motorists-in-iowa-access-to-more-realtime-tr-1.html
Lachman, L. M., & Brett, D. L. (2011). Generation Y: America's New Housing Wave.
Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute.
League of American Wheelmen, Inc. (n.d.). 2015 Bicycle Friendly State Ranking. Retrieved
September 20, 2016, from The League of American Bicyclists:
http://bikeleague.org/content/ranking
Pew Research Center. (2010). Millennials, A Portrait of Generation Next, Confident. Connected.
Open to Change. Retrieved February 7, 2015
Population Statistics and Demographics. (n.d.). Retrieved from Asian Nation: http://www.asiannation.org/population.shtml
The Nielsen Company. (2014). Millennials-Breaking the Myths.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2011, March 24). 2010 Census Shows America's Diversity. Retrieved from
United States Census Bureau:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn125.html
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Quick Facts United States. Retrieved June 29, 2016, from
U.S. Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00
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Appendix
APPENDIX
The following section presents additional information related to the questions presented in the
wider document.
Question 33 – Travel Information
TABLE 4: Travel Information, Number of Urban Respondents Indicating “Yes”
Smartphone
DOT Website
DOT Social Media
Desktop or Laptop
Tablet
Standalone GPS
511
Radio
Television
Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
83
75
35
22
20
20
15
12
6
52
50
65
32
33
27
21
14
17
4
4
2
30
27
24
27
32
32
TABLE 5: Travel Information, Number of Rural Respondents Indicating “Yes”
Smartphone
DOT Website
DOT Social Media
Desktop or Laptop
Tablet
Standalone GPS
511
Radio
Television
Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers
71
64
43
22
27
32
17
13
11
54
50
66
35
29
35
22
19
31
7
10
11
34
35
37
33
32
45
Question 40 – Public Transportation
The following tables present the detailed results of generational preferences for public
transportation.
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Appendix
TABLE 6: Millennial, Preference for Public Transportation
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
27 22 52
15 22 32
0 0 1
9 75 44
4 40 40
0 0 1
31 22 54
19 14 38
0 0 0
24 50 48
14 41 30
0 1 0
91 169 198
52 117 140
143 287 340
28
34
1
47
67
1
44
40
0
24
31
0
143
172
317
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
3
0
4
5
9
TOTAL
Small Town
14
15
0
23
15
0
14
7
0
27
16
0
78
53
131
Small City
19 53
12 25
0 2
2 7
1 5
0 0
21 44
9 20
0 0
15 25
4 24
0 0
57 129
26 74
83 205
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Public Transportation
217
156
4
207
172
2
231
148
0
214
163
1
869
639
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Appendix
TABLE 7: Generation X, Preference for Public Transportation
Lower-Density
City
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Small City
Small Town
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
5
7
0
0
2
0
9
5
0
3
6
0
17
20
37
5
6
0
10
4
0
8
5
0
19
13
0
42
28
70
12
8
1
7
6
0
11
8
0
12
8
0
42
30
73
13
8
0
7
17
0
15
8
0
8
9
0
43
42
85
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
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TOTAL
Big-City Suburb
6
1
0
2
1
1
7
1
0
9
5
0
24
8
33
Big, Dense City
Yes
10 17
Minnesota No
3 11
No Response
0
Yes
0 0
Montana
No
0 0
No Response 0 1
Yes
7 14
Washington No
1 4
No Response 0 0
Yes
1 8
Wisconsin No
4 4
No Response 0 0
18 39
Yes
Subtotal
No
8 19
26 59
TOTAL
Public Transportation
68
44
1
27
30
2
72
32
0
60
49
0
227
155
385
Page 51
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 8: Baby Boomer, Preference for Public Transportation
No Response
10 8
4 10
0 0
13 31
18 13
0 0
5 12
4 10
0 0
10 18
10 8
0 0
38 69
36 41
74 110
14
12
0
37
27
0
20
20
0
13
16
0
84
75
159
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
3
5
TOTAL
Outlying Rural
Area
5
7
0
5
2
0
6
7
0
4
10
0
20
26
46
Small Town
3
1
0
1
3
0
4
2
0
4
5
0
12
11
23
Small City
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Western Transportation Institute
8
9
0
0
0
0
7
5
0
0
4
0
15
18
33
Lower-Density
City
Yes
5
Minnesota No
6
No Response 0
Yes
1
Montana
No
0
No Response 0
Yes
3
Washington No
4
No Response 0
Yes
1
Wisconsin No
5
No Response 0
Yes
10
Subtotal
No
15
25
TOTAL
Big-City Suburb
Big, Dense City
Public Transportation
54
50
0
88
64
0
58
52
0
50
59
0
250
225
475
Page 52
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 9: Depression & War Babies, Preference for Public Transportation
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
1 2 0
1 2 6
0 0 1
0 5 8
1 0 3
0 0 0
0 1 2
4 1 2
0 0 0
1 0 4
1 4 4
0 0 0
2 8 14
7 7 15
9 15 30
3
4
0
8
10
0
8
7
0
5
8
0
24
29
53
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTAL
Small Town
0
1
0
2
1
0
2
0
0
0
1
0
4
3
7
Small City
1 2
1 4
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
2 1
3 2
0 0
0 1
1 1
0 0
3 4
5 7
8 11
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Public Transportation
9
19
1
23
15
0
16
19
0
11
20
0
59
73
133
Page 53
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 10: Silent Generation, Preference for Public Transportation
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Small City
Small Town
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
2
3
5
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
TOTAL
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Public Transportation
0
2
0
3
1
0
2
1
1
0
1
0
5
5
11
Page 54
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
Question 42 - Bicycling
TABLE 11: Millennial Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
24 23 51
18 21 31
0 0 3
7 73 49
6 42 35
0 0 0
18 17 44
31 18 48
1 1 0
19 43 37
19 49 40
0 0 0
68 156 181
74 130 154
143 287 338
24
39
0
48
67
1
34
50
0
26
29
1
132
185
319
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
3
1
0
4
5
9
TOTAL
Small Town
13
16
0
22
16
0
14
6
1
22
21
0
71
59
131
Small City
16 38
14 40
1 2
1 8
2 4
0 0
17 31
13 32
0 1
8 31
11 18
0 0
42 108
40 94
83 205
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Bike
190
181
6
208
172
1
175
200
4
189
188
1
762
741
1515
Page 55
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 12: Generation X Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation
Lower-Density
City
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Small City
Small Town
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
4
8
0
1
0
1
8
6
0
5
4
0
18
18
37
3
9
0
9
5
0
8
5
0
16
16
0
36
35
71
11
8
1
8
5
0
9
10
0
14
6
0
42
29
72
10
11
0
9
15
0
10
13
0
9
8
0
38
47
85
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
Western Transportation Institute
TOTAL
Big-City Suburb
4
3
0
3
1
0
4
4
0
9
5
0
20
13
33
Big, Dense City
Yes
9 8
Minnesota No
4 19
No Response 0 1
Yes
0 0
Montana
No
0 0
No Response 0 1
Yes
5 5
Washington No
3 12
No Response 0 1
Yes
2 7
Wisconsin No
3 5
No Response 0 0
Yes
16 20
Subtotal
No
10 36
26 59
TOTAL
Bike
49
62
2
31
26
2
49
53
2
62
47
0
191
188
385
Page 56
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 13: Baby Boomer Interest in Additional Bicycle Transportation
No Response
5 7
9 11
0 0
18 22
13 22
0 0
5 14
4 8
0 0
13 16
7 10
0 0
41 59
33 51
74 110
14
12
0
25
38
1
17
22
0
10
18
1
66
90
158
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
3
2
6
TOTAL
Outlying Rural
Area
2
10
0
4
1
2
7
6
0
4
10
0
17
27
46
Small Town
2
1
1
2
2
0
4
2
0
3
6
0
11
11
23
Small City
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Western Transportation Institute
4
13
0
0
0
0
6
5
1
2
2
0
12
20
33
Lower-Density
City
Yes
1
Minnesota No
10
No Response 0
Yes
1
Montana
No
0
No Response 0
Yes
2
Washington No
4
No Response 1
Yes
2
Wisconsin No
4
No Response 0
Yes
6
Subtotal
No
18
25
TOTAL
Big-City Suburb
Big, Dense City
Bike
37
66
1
73
76
3
55
52
3
50
58
1
215
252
475
Page 57
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
Question 44 - Walking
The following tables present the detailed results of generational preferences for additional
walking facilities.
TABLE 14: Millennial Interest in Additional Walking Facilities
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
29 19 44
13 25 40
0 0 1
10 63 47
3 52 38
0 0 0
31 21 49
19 13 43
0 2 0
19 43 35
19 49 42
0 0 0
89 146 175
54 139 163
143 287 339
28
35
0
48
67
0
38
46
0
22
33
1
136
181
318
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
5
4
9
TOTAL
Small Town
18
11
0
23
15
0
13
7
1
19
24
0
73
57
131
Small City
13 43
17 34
1 3
2 8
1 4
0 0
17 42
13 22
0 0
10 25
9 24
0 0
42 118
40 84
83 205
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Walk
195
177
5
201
180
0
213
163
3
175
202
1
784
722
1515
Page 58
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 15: Generation X Interest in Additional Walking Facilities
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Small City
Small Town
Outlying Rural
Area
No Response
9
4
0
0
0
0
8
11
0
2
2
1
19
17
37
13
15
0
0
0
1
0
7
0
8
4
0
21
26
48
4
2
1
2
2
0
5
3
0
7
7
0
18
14
33
7
5
0
1
1
0
9
5
0
5
3
1
22
14
37
3
8
1
9
5
0
5
8
0
17
15
0
34
36
71
9
11
0
7
6
0
9
10
0
10
10
0
35
37
72
5
16
0
6
18
0
11
12
0
5
12
0
27
58
85
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
TOTAL
Lower-Density
City
Western Transportation Institute
Big-City Suburb
Yes
Minnesota No
No Response
Yes
Montana
No
No Response
Yes
Washington No
No Response
Yes
Wisconsin No
No Response
Yes
Subtotal
No
TOTAL
Big, Dense City
Walk
50
61
2
26
32
1
48
56
0
54
53
2
178
202
385
Page 59
Mobility Mindset of Millennials in Small Urban & Rural Areas
Appendix
TABLE 16: Baby Boomer Interest in Additional Walking Facilities
No Response
3 11
11 7
0 0
14 27
17 17
0 0
5 12
4 10
0 0
9 10
11 16
0 0
31 60
43 50
74 110
6
20
0
21
3
0
16
23
1
5
24
0
48
70
119
2
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
3
2
5
TOTAL
Outlying Rural
Area
4
8
0
2
5
0
6
7
0
6
8
0
18
28
46
Small Town
2
1
1
0
4
0
1
5
0
1
8
0
4
18
23
Small City
Suburb of LowerDensity City
Western Transportation Institute
9
8
0
0
0
0
6
6
0
1
3
0
16
17
33
Lower-Density
City
Yes
3
Minnesota No
8
No Response 0
Yes
1
Montana
No
0
No Response 0
Yes
1
Washington No
6
No Response 0
Yes
3
Wisconsin No
3
No Response 0
Yes
8
Subtotal
No
17
25
TOTAL
Big-City Suburb
Big, Dense City
Walk
40
63
1
65
47
0
48
61
1
35
74
0
188
245
435
Page 60