A recently published Finnish study shows that residential environments, health status and health behaviours are associated with reduced car commuting. However, these factors explained only a small proportion of the overall modal shift towards active and sustainable commuting over a two-year follow-up. Future studies should examine the role of psychosocial determinants in this phenomenon. The study was published in Travel Behaviour and Society.

Commuting by walking, cycling or using public transport increases physical activity and reduces carbon emissions, air pollution, traffic noise and congestions. In Finland, it has been estimated that nearly one third of all commutes made by private car could be replaced with more active and sustainable modes of transport. To promote an efficient and equitable transition towards active commuting, more detailed information is needed on the predictors of such modal shifts – and their relative importance.

The study, which included more than 4,000 Finnish public sector employees working on-site, found that residential environments that support active commuting and public transport use were associated with reduced car commuting over the two-year period. Such environments were characterised by shorter average commuting distances, a lower proportion of green areas, lower levels of car ownership and shorter distances to local services such as grocery stores. At the individual level, being a non-smoker, having higher levels of physical activity and a lower body mass index were important factors related to reduced car commuting. However, these factors together explained only about four percent of the change, meaning that most of the variation was due to other factors.

Among employees with commutes longer than five kilometres, better control over working hours also emerged as a contributing factor.

“We were not surprised by the key factors associated with reduced car commuting. However, we did not expect their overall predictive power to be this low. It is possible that the infrastructure supporting walking, cycling and public transport in Finland is already relatively accessible and of high quality – at least by international standards. This may partially explain why the residential environment characteristics predicted only a small part of the change,” says Juuso Jussila, Visiting Researcher at the University of Eastern Finland.

“Although the overall predictive power of health status, health behaviours and worktime control was also low, individuals with generally healthier lifestyles may find it easier to replace car use with more physically active commuting modes. Moreover, workplaces without strict starting and finishing times may offer better opportunities to use public transport.”

According to Jussila, future studies should focus particularly on the role of psychosocial determinants in explaining modal shifts towards active and sustainable commuting.

“In countries with high levels of cycle commuting, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, factors like social support, self-efficacy and perceived health or economic benefits have been shown to be more important in promoting active commuting than built environment characteristics. This may also be the case in Finland, especially in larger cities. Too little attention has been paid to these factors when promoting walking, cycling and public transport among employed adults.”

The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Turku, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the Finnish Environment Institute, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, using data from the Finnish Public Sector study. The work was part of the CLIMATE NUDGE project, funded by the Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.