Connotative Meanings of Sustainable Mobility: A Segmentation Approach Using Cultural Sentiments

Abstract

Changing people’s travel behaviours and mode choices is an important mitigation option to reduce greenhouse gas emission in transport. Previous studies have shown that symbolic meanings asso-ciated with new low-emission vehicles and travel services influence people’s willingness to adopt these innovations. However, little is known about connotative meanings of many upcoming transport innovations, which often influence habitual decision-making, and their stratification with-in the population. This study thus examines cultural affective meanings of a broad range of con-ventional and novel transport mode options in a nationally representative German sample. Cluster analysis of affective meanings of travel modes identified six unique traveller segments. These con-sumer groups differ significantly in their intention to adopt low-emission travel modes and are characterized by specific psychographic, socio-demographic and behavioural profiles. The results demonstrate that affective meanings of choice options are predictive regarding the attitudes and (intended) behaviour of traveller segments. Moreover, the invariant positive connotation of con-ventional cars across segments indicate the strong cultural embeddedness of this mode in society. We discuss implications of our approach for the development of government strategies for sustain-able transport.

Keywords: Affective meanings, symbolic meanings, sustainable travel behaviour, segmentation, social marketing, transport innovations

JEL Classification: R20, R21, R48