Travel and cognitive dissonance

In this review paper, we reconceptualise the relationships between travel-related attitudes and behaviours using (and considering the applicability of) Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory. According to this psychological theory - developed in the 1950s and widely used ever since - a dissonance between attitudes and behaviour can result in feelings of discomfort, which people will try to reduce by changing either their attitudes or their behaviour. In our interpretation, we focus on two interrelated decision processes linked with travel behaviour, i.e., travel mode choice and residential location choice. Although a considerable number of travel behaviour studies refer to the cognitive dissonance theory in order to explain found results (e.g., changed attitudes), a full examination of the process of cognitive dissonance (reduction) in the travel behaviour literature is currently lacking. Through this critical consolidation of transport literature on the cognitive dissonance topic, we propose future research directions to fill this gap. We argue that the cognitive dissonance theory can provide valuable insights into satisfaction levels with travel and the place of residence, while also helping to explain changes in travel-related attitudes and choices of where to live and which travel mode to use.