Auto-Deficit Households: Determinants, Travel Behavior, and the Gender Division of Household Car Use

Blumenberg, Evelyn; Brown, Anne; Schouten, Andrew · 2018 · ROSA P / California. Dept. of Transportation. Division of Research and Innovation

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Summary

This study investigates the determinants, travel behaviors, and intra-household vehicle allocation patterns of "auto-deficit" households—those with fewer vehicles than licensed drivers. While carless households have received significant scholarly attention, auto-deficit households, which comprise approximately 15% of U.S. households, remain understudied. The research addresses three primary questions: whether auto deficits stem from financial constraints or other factors like built environment and household structure; how the mobility outcomes of these households compare to carless and fully-equipped households; and the role of gender in determining access to household vehicles. The authors utilize data from the 2012 California Household Travel Survey (CHTS), covering over 40,000 households and 100,000 individuals. They categorize households into zero-vehicle, auto-deficit, and fully-equipped groups. To analyze determinants, they employ multinomial logistic regression, controlling for income, household structure, and residential location, the latter defined by a seven-type neighborhood typology based on density and transit accessibility. Travel outcomes, including personal miles traveled (PMT), vehicle miles traveled (VMT), trip counts, and transit use, are analyzed using ordinary least squares, negative binomial, and logistic regressions. A separate analysis examines gender dynamics in car allocation within auto-deficit households. The findings reveal that auto-deficit households are distinct from both carless and fully-equipped groups. They tend to be larger, have lower incomes, and are more likely to reside in dense urban areas with robust transit options. Income is a significant determinant, though the relationship is complex; low-income auto-deficit households manage mobility by negotiating complementary vehicle use, traveling nearly as much as low-income fully-equipped households. In contrast, higher-income auto-deficit households travel significantly more than their low-income counterparts, suggesting greater residential choice. Regarding gender, the study challenges traditional norms and economic power hypotheses. Instead, "practical necessity" drives vehicle allocation. Women in auto-deficit households have substantially greater access to the household car than men. This advantage stems from women’s disproportionate responsibility for complex, multi-stop household labor and care tasks, which are better served by automobile travel than other modes. The study concludes that the mobility benefits of being fully-equipped are more limited than previously assumed, particularly for low-income households that effectively share vehicles. The results highlight the importance of policies that support automobile access for those without cars and those in neighborhoods where non-auto travel is difficult. Furthermore, the findings suggest that a more equitable division of household labor could renegotiate car use, potentially allowing women to utilize other transportation modes. The research underscores the need for transportation and employment programs that address the specific challenges of vehicle sharing within households.

Key finding

Women in car-deficit households have substantially greater access to the household vehicle than men because their disproportionate responsibility for household labor creates a practical necessity for automobile use.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 42431

Provenance

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Topics

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• demographic disparities