Psychological motives for car use

Abstract

People buy and use cars for a range of different reasons. The (perceived) value of cars, compared to other more sustainable modes of travel, is usually described in instrumental outcomes (e.g. relative speed and cost). But cars are also useful objects for non-verbal communication of people’s achievements and identities (symbolic value) and buying and driving cars can elicit feelings of thrill, excitement, stress and embarrassment (affective value). It is argued that the relative importance of different instrumental, symbolic and affective outcomes is largely subjective and varies significantly between situations and individuals. These (perceived) outcomes can form significant barriers for behaviour change, but they can also be levered to promote more sustainable behaviours. If the final goal of transport policies is to promote sustainable travel it is important to gain a comprehensive insight into the different psychological motives for car use. More research into the relative importance of the three different types of outcomes, the relationships between them and the effectiveness of interventions targeting the different aspects is needed in order to help develop more effective sustainable transport policies.