As with Question 1, we recommend including the reference period and the desired method of calculating the average in the question text itself, and omitting these instructions for filling out the form. It might also be advisable to underline the mode of transportation in Questions 1–3 (see findings for Question 2). Two test participants stated that they generally classify bicycle trips as leisure activities and therefore considered them to be part of the question. However, both of these test participants referred primarily to everyday trips in their own responses, so we do not see a need for change at this point. To ensure that respondents also consider bicycles with electric assistance, a corresponding instruction can be placed below the question text.
If the questionnaire aims to capture all modes of transportation used, consideration should be given to including the use of e-scooters in a separate question.
Thinking about the past four weeks:
On how many days per week have you made your everyday trips by bike (such as commuting to work, shopping, or leisure activities)?
Please also include e-bikes, pedelecs, and cargo bikes, with or without electric assistance.
General Probing, Specific Probing, Category-Selection Probing, Emergent Probing
Information on the purpose and aim of the test:
This question is intended to determine the average number of days per week over the past four weeks on which respondents have traveled everyday routes by bicycle. The term “routes” refers to trips from A to B with a specific destination and excludes trips that begin and end at home and are primarily for the purpose of riding around (e.g., bike tours). The word “daily” in the question refers to recurring activities, such as the examples listed in parentheses.
As part of the testing, the focus was on how the test persons calculated the weekly average. To this end, researchers examined how they understood the reference period and whether they took it into account. Test persons were asked whether they understood the terms “routes” and “daily” in the intended sense, and whether they thought only of their own “traditional” bicycles or also considered e-bikes, cargo bikes, or rental bikes.
Findings:
Only three participants reported having used a bicycle in the past four weeks. For one of these participants, the bicycle was the primary mode of transportation.
“At first, I figured I’d spend four days a week at my main job. I always ride my bike there. I also ride my bike for all the other trips I need to make. I’d say I actually ride my bike every day of the week.” (TP06)
The other two test persons who ride bicycles both chose the answer “1–3 days a week,” with one person being certain of their answer (TP10) while the other wavered between two answer options (TP08).
“Wait a minute, that would have been—over the last four weeks—three to four days. I’m self-employed and work from home a lot. It’s maybe three to four days, including exercise. I fluctuate between three and four days, but 4–5 days would just be too much, so 1–3 days.” (TP08)
How do the test persons interpret the reference period, and do they take it into account in their answers?
For the three bicycle users, the past four weeks were typical in terms of their bicycle use. The other participants either did not own a bicycle or had not used one for so long that they did not consider selecting “Less than once a week” as an answer; instead, they all chose “Never” without exception. There were various reasons for this.
§ “I do have a bike, but I never use it. It’s way too much of a hassle to take it on the train, and it wouldn’t be worth it in the village. No matter where you’d ride a bike in this heat, it would be too far; there’s nothing within 10 kilometers. So I just drive or take the bus, or I just walk.” (TP01)
§ “Because I don’t own a bike. I read ‘bike’ and immediately thought, ‘Never.’ I didn’t even finish reading the question.” (TP03)
§ “I do have a bike, but it’s in the basement and it’s getting a bit old […] I haven’t used it in a while.” (TP05)
§ “Because I can’t ride a bike right now—I have health issues with my knees […] Before that, I used to ride a bike sometimes, and I also used the [city bike-sharing system].” (TP07)
§ I already have a bike, but I really rarely ride it and haven’t made it part of my daily routine.” (TP11)
What kinds of bicycles do the test participants have in mind?
Most participants spontaneously included e-bikes and bike-sharing bikes, even if they do not currently use a bicycle at all (“Right now I own a regular bike, but I’m planning to buy an e-bike. If I were already using one, I would have thought of it when answering the question,” TP09). One participant noted that publicly funded bike-sharing systems could also be considered a form of public transportation, but still classified them as bicycles:
“Actually, these rental bikes are sort of a cross between a bike and public transportation, but they’re still a bike. I don’t use them, but if I did, I would have taken them into account.” (TP01)
Interestingly, the test person who rides a bike every day, did not think of her cargo bike because her regular bike was her primary mode of transportation. However, since she rides a bike almost every day anyway, her answer would not have changed even if she had included her trips on the cargo bike.
“When I heard this question, I actually just thought of my favorite bike—the one ‘without the E.’ Even though I have a cargo bike, it didn’t cross my mind.” (TP06)
One of the other participants who rode bicycles, however, used only an e-bike, which she also mentioned when answering the question (“I count my e-bike as a bicycle. I only use an e-bike,” TP08).
None of the participants classified e-scooters as bicycles, although one participant—whose primary mode of transportation is an e-scooter—found it slightly frustrating that she could not specify her primary mode of transportation anywhere.
“I actually have an e-scooter, and I briefly wondered whether that should also be considered a bicycle, but then I ruled that out […] These days, a lot of [people] ride e-scooters, like me, for example. Maybe it would be possible to include that in the question so that people don’t have to answer ‘Never,’ but can choose either ‘bicycle’ or ‘scooter.’ If the question had been about scooters and bicycles, I could have said more, of course, because I ride my scooter every day—really, every single day.” (TP11)
Were the terms “routes” and “daily” understood in the intended sense?
All participants thought about their daily lives and how they travel their regular routes. While two participants used the bicycle as their primary mode of transportation for all types of trips, the third used it exclusively for shopping and leisure activities.
“The [1–3] days mainly refer to shopping and leisure activities; work can be ruled out. I drive to work because it’s not practical to ride a bike there.” (TP10)
Two participants (TP02, 06) stated that they consider bike rides to be leisure activities and would therefore include them in their responses to this question.
“On the one hand, I was thinking about daily routines, like work or grocery shopping. But I was also thinking about leisure activities, because I really enjoy biking as a leisure activity. […] I would count [bike rides] as leisure activities.” (TP06)
