Measuring attitudes: quantitative and qualitative methods

In this paper, we present the discussion and main findings from the ISCTSC Workshop B3, which focused on measuring the role of attitudes and perceptions in people’s travel choices. The paper considers various issues concerning the design and use of quantitative and qualitative approaches in the measurement of attitudes and perceptions within travel surveys. It first identifies the importance of measuring the underlying psychological motivations for people’s travel choices and behaviors and provides some examples of how travel surveys have applied these concepts to date. It then considers the complimentary role of qualitative methods for improving quantitative survey and model design, as well as for providing deeper understandings and interpretations of travel behaviors. Finally, it makes some recommendations for the advancement of research practice in these two respects and also briefly discusses the opportunity for mix method approaches.