Modeling dynamics in household car ownership over life courses: a latent class competing risks model

Abstract

This study presents a latent class competing risks model to examine the influence of socio-demographics and life course events on car transaction behaviour. The types of car transaction and interval times between car transactions events are incorporated in a competing risk model. To capture unobserved behavioural heterogeneity across the population, the model classifies households into different segments. Results estimated based on retrospective survey data show significant heterogeneity exist in household car ownership decisions. The covariates are found to have different effects on car ownership decisions between different classes. Households in the class labelled “Young households without a car” are more sensitive to life course events related to household composition. Households labelled as “middle-aged and aged households with car(s)” are more sensitive to life course events related to job and house locations.