Travel barriers affecting subjective wellbeing in Tampere, Finland

Abstract

Travel is an important activity enabling everyday life, as well as a recognized factor for the wellbeing of people. This study examined how experienced travel barriers and their effect on access to important destinations influenced subjective wellbeing (SWB). The study comprised a survey of 772 people living in two suburban areas of Tampere, Finland. The survey included questions about everyday travel, travel barriers, and their effect on access to destinations. SWB was measured using the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). Responses were analysed by comparing PWI scores with travel barriers and access to destinations using one way ANOVA. Results indicate a significant connection between several experienced barriers and SWB. Some travel barriers were associated with a worrying decline to critically low level of SWB, which raised questions about transport equity and connections between travel and wellbeing in the context of Finnish transport system.