Interest into travel-related interventions among urban movers and non-movers

Movers are expected to be more open to travel behaviour change and corresponding interventions than non-movers due to weakened mobility habits. However, evidence is mixed, the role of relocation for travel behaviour (change) is not yet well understood, and the assumed openness to change has hardly been addressed systematically. This study focuses on how far relocation predicts individual interest into an intervention to motivate the use of alternative travel modes. We emphasize the theoretical argumentation and explore how to address this question empirically. We surveyed movers before their move (N = 186) and non-movers (N = 572), and offered them the chance to order a Mobility Package promoting public transport, cycling, and carsharing. Whether participants ordered a package, thus indicating a preactional stage of travel behaviour change, was regressed on relocation, current changes in life, mobility habit strength, consideration to reduce car use, and perceived destination accessibility. While changes in life and relocation did not predict interest, the interaction revealed a negative impact: Movers who reported that moving house was provoked by changes in their personal life were clearly less interested. Unexpectedly, mobility habit strength and enhanced consideration to reduce car use revealed no impact on interest, while perceived accessibility enhanced interest. We interpret that not relocation as such, but the experienced mobility relevance that derives from changed individual and structural conditions associated with residential relocation or changes in life might be a better indicator of interest. We suggest further research on the conceptualization, measurement and fertilization of mobility relevance during changing circumstances.