Public Attitudes Survey Data: Wave 24

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 restarted the survey over summer 2022 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 and final wave of the survey. This information is used to gain an understanding of the ways in which 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 24 of the survey which took place from 21 September – 9 October 2022. The key findings are:

Current Behaviour

• Around one in five (19%) say they are using a car or van more compared to before the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Around half (48%) say they are using a car or van at the same level as before the pandemic, while around a quarter (24%) say they are using a car or van less.
• Around two in five (41%) say they are walking or wheeling more than they were compared to before the pandemic, with a similar proportion (43%) saying they are walking or wheeling at the same level. Around one in ten (11%) say they are walking or wheeling less.
• Over one in ten (13%) say they are using the bus more than they were compared to before the pandemic. Around two in five (38%) say they are using the bus at the same level, with around a quarter (26%) say that are using the bus less compared to before the pandemic.
• Over one in ten (13%) say they are using the train more than they were compared to before the pandemic. Over a third (36%) say they are using the train at the same level, with slightly less (29%) saying that are using the train less compared to before the pandemic.
• Comparing behaviour pre-pandemic to now, respondents said they were more likely to shop for non-food items online (43%); shop closer to home (40%); work from home (34%); and shop for food online (25%).
• They said they were less likely to: eat out/go to a restaurant (34%); take part/attend group classes/leisure activities (29%); and work in an office or building (24%).

Covid-19 Concerns

• For those who indicated that they used public transport and taxis prior to the pandemic, 41% of respondents are concerned about contracting or spreading the virus when travelling by bus – a 10 percentage point decrease on the previous wave of the survey conducted in July 2022; with 30% concerned when travelling by train – a 15 percentage point decrease; and 30% when travelling by taxi – no change.
• Around one in three respondents (30%) say they are avoiding public transport and using their car more than they did before due to the pandemic – a decrease of four percentage points on the previous wave. Over half (60%) say they are doing all of the things they did before including holidays and travel, with a similar proportion (55%) say they are walking, wheeling or cycling more.
• Half (50%) say they are travelling by air less than they did before due to the pandemic – a decrease of five percentage points on the previous wave.
• For those who indicated that they used public transport prior to the pandemic, 36% said that they use a face covering if using public transport – a decrease of nine percentage points since the previous wave; 63% say they do not.

Travel Costs

• Just under half (49%) of respondents say they can easily afford to pay their travel costs – a similar proportion compared to the previous wave of the survey conducted in July 2022. Around one in three (29%) say they are struggling to afford their travel costs – a similar proportion compared to the previous wave of the survey. A small proportion (1%) say they can’t afford their travel costs. Those with a long-term limiting health condition or disability; and women 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. A third (33%) agree that the cost of fuel/diesel has led them to switch transport mode for some or all of their journeys.
• Around two in five (39%) of respondents agree that the cost of living crisis has had no influence on how they travel. Over half (52%) disagree with this. Less than one in ten (7%) agree they can no longer travel due to travel costs.
• Around three in ten (31%) respondents agree that they have changed the mode of transport they use to save money. Around two in five (39%) agree that they are no longer able to make as many journeys as they did due to travel costs.

Safety on Public Transport

• Over a quarter (27%) of respondents said they were concerned about their personal safety in general when using public transport. A higher proportion of women (32%) than men (21%) said this; and those with a long-term limiting health condition or disability were also more likely to say they were concerned.
• The majority of respondents (65%) said that personal safety did not influence their travel choices, with around one in three respondents (29%) saying that it did. A higher proportion of women (35%) than men (22%) said that personal safety did influence their travel choices; as did those with a long-term limiting health condition or disability.
• Over half of respondents (56%) say they have witnessed antisocial behaviour when using public transport. This was predominantly on the train/subway/tram and on the bus. 14% of respondents said they had witnessed antisocial behaviour at the bus stop and 11% at the train station respectively. Men were more likely to say they had witnessed antisocial behaviour (60%) than women (51%).
• The majority (75%) of these instances occurred in the evening, with almost half (45%) occurring in the evening at weekends.
• Around one in ten respondents (12%) had been the victim of harassment when using public transport. The proportion of women who had been the victim of harassment was higher (14%) than for men (10%). For those who had, the majority of instance occurred on the bus (59%); on the train (41%); at the bus stop (13%); and at the train station (7%).
• The majority of instances of harassment also occurred in the evening (67%), with 41% occurring during the evening at weekends.
• The most common type of harassment experienced was unspecified verbal abuse (41%); drunken/intimidating/rowdy behaviour (26%); sexual verbal abuse (15%); and unspecified physical abuse (14%). *Note that these percentages are based on a relatively small number of respondents who have been victims of harassment while using public transport (124).
• Over half of respondents (53%) who had been the victim of harassment said that the experience had not changed the way they travelled. 15% said they no longer used public transport and used other modes; while 11% of respondents said that they travel at a different time; with 9% saying they don’t travel on their own when using public transport.  *Note again that these percentages are based on a relatively small number of respondents who have been victims of harassment while using public transport (124).