Does metropolitan motorization reflect regional religious affiliations? A social reference consideration of car ownership

Abstract

Motorization rates, the number of private vehicles per thousand residents, are growing globally. Effective mitigation policy requires an understanding of the underlying drivers of auto ownership. Traditional statistical models of auto ownership have been criticized for excluding the social context within which major lifestyle decisions are made. This omission is seen as a contributor to the failure of policy to rein in motorization. This research addresses this concern by exploring the impact of one specific social group reference effect, religious affiliation, on countywide motorization in metropolitan regions in the continental United States. This research finds that religious affiliation rates are statistically significant predictors of motorization rates. This observation both suggests the importance of social reference group effects on auto ownership decisions and the potential value of tailoring sustainable transport policies to specific social groups.