Encouraging car use reduction through motivational messaging: An analysis of how thematic content and message formulation are ranked and rated across socio-demographic and lifestyle categories
(2025) In CODEN: LUTVDG/(TVTT-5378)/1-58/2025 VTVM01 20251Transport and Roads
- Abstract
- Sweden’s post-war development positioned it among Europe’s most motorised countries, contributing to high car ownership and widespread reliance on private vehicles. While cars remain essential to modern life, their overuse challenges national climate goals and public health. Efforts to reduce car use have increasingly focused on promoting sustainable al ternatives such as walking, cycling, and public transport. However, addressing car depend ence requires a deeper understanding of individual motivations and perceived constraints. This thesis explores how motivational communication strategies can support voluntary behaviour change among car users. Building on the work of Andersson et al. (2020), who examined thematic motivations (economy,... (More)
- Sweden’s post-war development positioned it among Europe’s most motorised countries, contributing to high car ownership and widespread reliance on private vehicles. While cars remain essential to modern life, their overuse challenges national climate goals and public health. Efforts to reduce car use have increasingly focused on promoting sustainable al ternatives such as walking, cycling, and public transport. However, addressing car depend ence requires a deeper understanding of individual motivations and perceived constraints. This thesis explores how motivational communication strategies can support voluntary behaviour change among car users. Building on the work of Andersson et al. (2020), who examined thematic motivations (economy, environment, health, and status) on an individ ual level, this study focuses on how different car user groups rank these themes relative to one another and based on fact-based or emotion-driven framing. Status-related content was excluded for practicality. An online survey (N = 706) collected responses from participants across Sweden, who were grouped into 30 socio-demographic and lifestyle categories. Respondents ranked and rated motivational themes and message formulations. The analysis found that behavioural factors, particularly driving frequency and main trip purpose, were the strongest predictors of openness to reducing car use. Health-themed messages were consistently the most mo tivating, while economic arguments resonated mainly with students and younger adults. However, their motivational impact varied depending on how they were framed. Fact-based formulations were rated slightly more motivating than emotion-driven ones, with the difference confirmed through a statistically paired t-test. Nonetheless, the small effect size indicates that emotion-driven messages were still effective. The findings underscore the potential of tailored, evidence-based messaging in Mobility Management interventions to reduce car use and promote more sustainable travel habits. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9205252
- author
- Kisic, Nikola LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- VTVM01 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Car use reduction, Behaviour change, Message framing, Mobility Management, Educational interventions, Sustainable mobility, Fact-based vs. emotion-driven communication, Travel motivation
- publication/series
- CODEN: LUTVDG/(TVTT-5378)/1-58/2025
- report number
- 411
- ISSN
- 1653-1922
- language
- English
- id
- 9205252
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-26 13:20:53
- date last changed
- 2025-06-26 13:20:53
@misc{9205252,
abstract = {{Sweden’s post-war development positioned it among Europe’s most motorised countries, contributing to high car ownership and widespread reliance on private vehicles. While cars remain essential to modern life, their overuse challenges national climate goals and public health. Efforts to reduce car use have increasingly focused on promoting sustainable al ternatives such as walking, cycling, and public transport. However, addressing car depend ence requires a deeper understanding of individual motivations and perceived constraints. This thesis explores how motivational communication strategies can support voluntary behaviour change among car users. Building on the work of Andersson et al. (2020), who examined thematic motivations (economy, environment, health, and status) on an individ ual level, this study focuses on how different car user groups rank these themes relative to one another and based on fact-based or emotion-driven framing. Status-related content was excluded for practicality. An online survey (N = 706) collected responses from participants across Sweden, who were grouped into 30 socio-demographic and lifestyle categories. Respondents ranked and rated motivational themes and message formulations. The analysis found that behavioural factors, particularly driving frequency and main trip purpose, were the strongest predictors of openness to reducing car use. Health-themed messages were consistently the most mo tivating, while economic arguments resonated mainly with students and younger adults. However, their motivational impact varied depending on how they were framed. Fact-based formulations were rated slightly more motivating than emotion-driven ones, with the difference confirmed through a statistically paired t-test. Nonetheless, the small effect size indicates that emotion-driven messages were still effective. The findings underscore the potential of tailored, evidence-based messaging in Mobility Management interventions to reduce car use and promote more sustainable travel habits.}},
author = {{Kisic, Nikola}},
issn = {{1653-1922}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{CODEN: LUTVDG/(TVTT-5378)/1-58/2025}},
title = {{Encouraging car use reduction through motivational messaging: An analysis of how thematic content and message formulation are ranked and rated across socio-demographic and lifestyle categories}},
year = {{2025}},
}