A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Shifting towards active and sustainable commuting: the relative importance of factors associated with reduced car commuting among Finnish public sector employees
Authors: Jussila, Juuso J.; Gluschkoff, Kia; Halonen, Jaana I.; Kurkela, Olli; Lanki, Timo; Makkonen, Anna; Rehunen, Antti; Salo, Paula; Suomalainen, Emilia; Tainio, Marko; Ervasti, Jenni
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Travel Behaviour and Society
Article number: 101154
Volume: 42
ISSN: 2214-367X
eISSN: 2214-367X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101154
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2025.101154
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/504927952
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Shifting from car to walking, cycling, or public transport increases physical activity and decreases traffic-related emissions. However, many commutes with healthier transportation options are still undertaken by private cars, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the factors associated with commuting modal shift. By linking individual-level survey data with grid-based data on the residential environment, we examined the relative importance of factors associated with reduced car commuting from 2020 to 2022 among 4464 Finnish public sector employees using dominance analysis. While the overall predictive power of the analysis was low, shorter average commute length, lower proportion of green areas, being a non-smoker, higher proportion of households without a car, shorter distance to the nearest grocery shop, less car ownership, higher total physical activity, and lower body mass index emerged as the most important factors. Results suggest that residential environment, health, and health behaviours only explain a small proportion of the total variance in a shift towards healthier commuting. Future studies should explore the role of individual psychosocial factors and workplace environment characteristics in explaining modal shifts in commuting within Nordic countries.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Funding information in the publication:
JJJ and TL were supported by the Research Council of Finland, Strategic Research Council (#358457). JIH was supported by the Academy of Finland, Strategic Research Council (#358454) and the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (#2023-00446). PS was supported by the Research Council of Finland, Strategic Research Council (#335186). ES and MT were supported by the Research Council of Finland, Strategic Research Council (#336517; #358456). KG, OK, and JE were supported by the Research Council of Finland, Strategic Research Council (#358458) and JE additionally by the Finnish Work Environment Fund (#220245).
