Dynamics of car consumption and attitudes towards car characteristics: Insights from a large-scale panel model in the United Kingdom

The current study aims to understand the dynamics between the importance people place on different car characteristics when purchasing a car (labelled as car-related attitudes in this study) and their car consumption (car use and the number of cars owned) over time. Using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), we conceptualize bidirectional effects between car-related attitudes, the number of cars owned, and car use among those who access at least a car in their households and test how and which element comes first in impacting the other elements over time. Employing a two-wave cross-lagged panel model with a two-year lag on a large-scale sample (n = 17,198), and considering covariates, the results reveal existence of bidirectional but asymmetric effects between these three elements. Interestingly, the number of cars has the greatest effect on the two other elements. Car consumption influences car-related attitudes larger than the reverse effect. In particular, over time, a higher number of cars and higher levels of car use more strongly affect declines in the weight individuals place on environmental considerations when purchasing a car (e.g., engine size, CO2 emissions, or electric propulsion). This effect is larger than that of environmental considerations on shedding cars or reducing car use.