Generational Differences in Trip Timing and Purpose: Evidence from Canada

Abstract Recent anecdotal evidence suggests that millennials (individuals born following Generation X and between the early 1980s and early 2000s) are characterized by different travel behavior characteristics, including being less likely to have a valid driver's license and less likely to drive than their older counterparts. The old, conversely, represent a rapidly growing segment of the Canadian population that have grown up with the personal automobile and are dependent on it. But are there differences in trip purpose and timing between different generational cohorts? Using data from Statistics Canada's 2010 General Social Survey “Time Use” cycle, this paper evaluates the purpose and timing of trips across generational cohorts, with the paper distinguishing between millennials, generation X, baby boomers, and the greatest generation. Descriptive statistics are used to characterize the purpose and timing of trips, and multivariate analyses of peak versus non‐peak departure‐time models offers insights into the differences and similarities across cohorts. Findings suggest that the timing of travel, along with reasons for travel, are broadly similar across the generations.