Willingness to accept longer commutes for better salaries: understanding the differences within and between couples

Abstract

This paper reports on an analysis aiming to understand differences across individual people in their willingness to accept increased commuting time in return for higher salary, using Hierarchical Bayes (HB) analysis of a dataset collected in Sweden. In addition to differences across key socio-demographic groups, we also study the differences between valuations obtained in choices where respondents are faced only with their own commute journeys and those where they make decisions jointly for themselves and their partner. The analysis has revealed a very rich set of findings. We observe major differences between men and women in their preferences. We also note how these preferences change when respondents are faced with choices that affect both themselves and their partner. Finally, there are major differences between respondents’ own preferences and those assigned to them by their partner in the joint choices. An extensive regression analysis has highlighted a diverse set of drivers for these differences, be they socio-demographics, attitudes, or current commute circumstances. The sheer richness of our results is a reflection of the benefits of a HB approach in the present context.