The Department for Transport has published provisional statistics on attitudes around travel and transport issues during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) is an online and telephone survey which covers responses from individuals aged 16 and over in England, drawn from people who have previously responded to the National Travel Survey (NTS). The survey was conducted between May and July 2020 and had a sample size of 2,688 individuals
The questions cover a wide array of topics, including:
- travel behaviour during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- concerns about transport
- changes in travel behaviour
- compliance with regulations
- leisure and holidays
Highlights
Of all respondents, 86% expressed concerns for their health when thinking about using public modes of transport (e.g. bus, plane, train), compared to 19% regarding private modes (e.g. walking, cycling, private car). Shared modes (e.g. taxi, shared bicycle schemes) were a concern for 68% of respondents.
"How concerned for your health, if at all, would you be currently if you were to use the following modes of transport:"
Survey respondents felt less often concerned for their health when considering the use of personal cars, personal bicycles (both 17% concerned) and walking (24% concerned).
When respondents were asked about the modes of transport they had used in the previous seven days, private cars (74%) and walking (69% for exercise and 52% to get somewhere) were mentioned most often.
Thinking about all the times you have travelled from your home in the last seven days, how many times, if at all, have you…
Additional findings
- 37% of respondents who travel by walking or cycling reported an increase in these modes
- less than 40% of respondents said that they planned to fly to another country in the next 12 months
- 15% of respondents felt it was likely that they would be stopped by police for driving on a non-essential journey during the main lockdown restrictions.
You can find the full provisional report here.
