Public Attitudes Survey Data: Wave 22

Transport Scotland had been monitoring public attitudes to transport and travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, running from May 2020 to November 2021. We were doing this through a telephone survey carried out on our behalf with a representative sample of over 16s across Scotland. We have recently restarted the survey to look at attitudes to transport and travel following the easing of restrictions around COVID-19. This information provides the key findings from the latest wave of the survey. This information is used to gain an understanding of the ways in which the COVID-19 has affected travel behaviour in Scotland, as well as understanding public attitudes on topical issues relevant to transport. These findings are for Wave 22 of the survey which took place from 16 May – 1 June 2022. The key findings are:

Current Behaviour as compared to pre-Pandemic

• Around a third of respondents (30%) say they make more car/van journeys now. A quarter (25%) say they are walking and wheeling more.  Around 20% say they are travelling more by public transport.
• Conversely, around a quarter of respondents say they are making less journeys by train (25%), bus (25%) and car/van (24%) now. Just over 1 in 10 (11%) say they are making less journeys by walking and wheeling compared to before the Pandemic.
• Respondents said they were more likely to: shop closer to home (44%); shop for non-food items online (41%); work from home (33%); and shop for food online (21%).
• They said they were less likely to: work in an office or building (27%); eat out/go to a restaurant (36%); take part/attend group classes/leisure activities (30%). Over a third (36%) of respondents say they are working from home more than before the Pandemic.

COVID-19 Concerns

• 43% of respondents are concerned about contracting or spreading the virus when travelling by bus; 39% when travelling by train; and 29% when travelling by taxi. These concerns have reduced compared to the previous wave of the survey from which ran in October/November 2021. In this wave, 50% of people were concerned when travelling by bus; 57% by train; and 52% by taxi. (*note that these figures are for everyone irrespective of whether they are regular users of bus, train or taxis)
• A third of respondents (33%) say they are avoiding public transport and using their car more than they did before due to the Pandemic. However, half (50%) say they are walking, wheeling or cycling more.
• 68% agreed that they would use a face covering if using public transport.

Travel Costs

• Just over half (53%) of respondents say they can easily afford to pay their travel costs, whereas a quarter (25%) say they are struggling. 2% say they cannot afford their travel costs. Those with a long-term limiting health condition or disability; and those in socioeconomic grouping DE, were more likely to say they are struggling to afford their travel costs.
• Over half (54%) of respondents agreed that the cost of fuel/diesel has led them to driving less frequently or for fewer miles. Around a quarter (24%) said that the cost of fuel/diesel has led them to switch transport mode for some or all of their journeys.
• Over a third of respondents agree that the cost of living crisis has had no influence on how they travel (36%). A higher proportion (45%) disagree with this. 6% agree they can no longer travel due to travel costs.
• A fifth (20%) of respondents agree that they have changed the mode of transport they use to save money. A third (33%) agree that they are no longer able to make as many journeys as they did due to travel costs.

Safety on Public Transport

• Around two in five respondents (39%) say they have witnessed antisocial behaviour when using public transport. This was predominantly on the train/subway/tram and on the bus. 15% of respondents said they had witnessed antisocial behaviour both at the bus stop and at the train station respectively. There was little difference in gender with regard to witnessing antisocial behaviour.
• The majority (80%) of these instances occurred in the evening, with 50% occurring in the evening at weekends.
• Less than one in ten respondents (8%) had been the victim of harassment when using public transport. For those who had, the majority of instances occurred on the bus (60%); on the train (41%); at the bus stop (18%); and at the train station (11%).
• Instances of harassment were spread more evenly in terms of when they occurred, with over a third (34%) occurring during the day during the week. However, most (60%) occurred in the evening. There was little difference in gender with regard to being a victim of harassment when using public transport.