This dissertation employs a mixed methods research design to examine the travel behavior of immigrants (individuals with an immigration background) in Vienna, Austria. Almost half of the city´s population has an immigration background. This study aims to understand the motivations, perceptions and attitudes influencing the travel behavior of individuals with an immigration background. The two main dependent variables in the analysis throughout the dissertation are mode choice and the satisfaction with six aspects of public transit: costs, travel time, equipment, connectivity, waiting times and safety. The first part of the dissertation will present a quantitative analysis of two datasets, one provided by Statistik Austria, and one self-conducted survey, in which overall trends and predicting factors of travel behavior in Vienna will be presented. The second part of the dissertation offers a qualitative view on travel behavior. 21 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with individuals with and without an immigration background to further the understanding of the underlying factors leading to their travel behavior. The quantitative analysis has shown that individuals with an immigration background from Turkey or former Yugoslavia in general drive more and ride public transit less than individuals without an immigration background. This effect is especially prevalent for work-trips. Individuals with an immigration background from Turkey or former Yugoslavia are also less satisfied with the majority of the six aspects of public transit. The interviews have shown that the rationale between driving more for individuals with an immigration background from Turkey or former Yugoslavia do not stem from transportation or land-use related factors, but rather from political attitudes and viewing the car as a status symbol. Policies set out by the government, such as introducing a cheap annual pass compared with most other cities, are seen negatively as a push to make people give up their cars and use public transit exclusively. The interviews have also found that perceptions of public transit for individuals with an immigration background are greatly influenced by previous experiences regarding public transit in other countries.
This dissertation fills a methodological and substantial gap. First, it employs mixed-methods research design using phenomenology in the qualitative analysis to capture the experiences of the interview participants in an accurate way. Substantially, this research has shown, that policies which aim at incentivizing individuals to switch to public transit by offering affordable annual passes do not reach some individuals with an immigration background due to government skepticism. Cities employing transportation policies should not view transportation as a mere technical realm, but rather as a construct filled with social, cultural, and economic aspects. / Doctor of Philosophy / Most large cities in the world have large immigrant populations. However, there is not much scholarly research on how these people travel within these cities in daily life. Additionally, the perceptions of immigrants and non-immigrants regarding public transit will be examined. In this dissertation, there will be four main research topics. First, through statistical analysis, the differences of travelling within the city between immigrants and non-immigrants is analyzed. Second, the reasons and motivations behind these travel patterns will be investigated through interviews with immigrants and non-immigrants. Third, the differences in the perceptions of public transit between immigrants and non-immigrants will be understood. Finally, the underlying reasons behind the perceptions of public transit will be investigated. In this study, I am using statistical analysis as well as interviews to address the four research topics. The statistical analysis has shown that Turkish or former Yugoslavian immigrants are more likely to drive regularly, particularly when travelling for work-related purposes, compared to non-immigrants. The interviews have showed that the reason behind this travel behavior lies in a skeptical attitude towards public transit, which has primarily political reasons. Additionally, these immigrants see the car as a high-status symbol representing economic success
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115123 |
| Date | 19 May 2023 |
| Creators | Teoman, Denis Can |
| Contributors | Public Administration/Public Affairs, Buehler, Ralph, Smart, Michael J., Welsch, Janina, Wernstedt, Kris F., Sanchez, Thomas W. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Coverage | Vienna, Austria |
| Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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