Understanding Socioeconomic Disparities in Travel Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rebecca Brough (), Matthew Freedman and David Phillips
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Rebecca Brough: Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, University of Notre Dame

No 192007, Working Papers from University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics

Abstract: We document the magnitudes of and mechanisms behind socioeconomic differences in travel behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic. We focus on King County, Washington, one of the first places in the U.S. where Covid-19 was detected. We leverage novel and rich administrative and survey data on travel volumes, modes, and preferences for different demographic groups. Large average declines in travel, and in public transit use in particular, due to the pandemic and related policy responses mask substantial heterogeneity across socioeconomic groups. Travel intensity declined considerably less among less-educated and lower-income individuals, even after accounting for mode substitution and variation across neighborhoods in the impacts of public transit service reductions. The relative inability of less-educated and lower-income individuals to cease commuting explains at least half of the difference in travel responses across groups.

Keywords: Covid-19; Coronavirus; Mobility; Transportation; Commuting; Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H12 J61 R41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2020-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab, nep-tre and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Journal Article: Understanding socioeconomic disparities in travel behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:irv:wpaper:192007

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