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Itemtext:

3. I generally prefer walking to riding a bike.

Verschiedene Antwortformate getestet:

Befund zum Item:

How do the participants justify their answers to items 1–3 regarding their general transportation preferences?

Although all participants were able to explain without difficulty when they preferred which modes of transportation, only five of the twelve participants were able to respond to the first three statements without hesitation with “Agree” or “Disagree” (TP01, 04, 05, 06, 08). Of these, two participants preferred the bicycle in all cases (TP06, 08), and the other three preferred the other modes of transportation in all cases (TP01, 04, 05). In addition, these participants also had a correct understanding of the word “generally” and indicated which mode of transportation they preferred for routes that could be traveled using both of the mentioned modes.

§  “I don’t really like riding a bike. So I prefer to walk, then take public transportation—that way I don’t have to look for a parking spot—and then I’d take the car. To me, a bike is always such an unnecessary burden.” (TP01)

§  “As a general rule, I prefer to drive or take public transportation for both short and long trips rather than ride a bike. For short trips, I also prefer to walk rather than ride a bike. The word ‘generally’ implies that there might be a trip where I’d prefer to ride a bike. But generally speaking, that’s just how it is.” (TP04)

§  “[Cars and bicycles] can, of course, be equally convenient from time to time, but [riding a bike] also saves a lot of money. I’d rather do without a car—I can get everything done by bike.” (TP08)

The other participants had less clear-cut preferences for or against the bicycle and encountered one of two problems. The first problem was that they did not generally prefer one of the two modes of transportation in any of the statements, but rather, if at all, only in specific situations.

 “Whether I generally prefer walking to biking depends a lot on the distance. If it’s a 5-minute walk to the nearest supermarket or something like that, then I’d rather walk […] If the trip takes longer than 15 minutes, then I’d be more likely to hop on my bike, simply because it saves a lot of time […] If I want to go out and get some exercise, I’d always rather go for a walk than ride a bike. But when it comes to getting to work or going shopping, as mentioned here, I’d decide based on the distance.” (TP02, response to statement 3: I don’t know)

One test person faced the dilemma that she did not use either mode of transportation and could not relate to the question. In her case, “I don’t know” was therefore possibly the correct answer.

 “I ride a bike just as rarely as I drive a car. That’s why I said ‘I don’t know.’ I just prefer riding my e-scooter because it’s the only thing I can drive myself—the only way I can get from A to B on my own […] I have just as little connection to cars as I do to bikes.” (TP03, response to statement 1: I don’t know)

The second problem was that some participants did not know which response option to choose when, although they generally preferred one mode of transportation, it was not the ideal option for their daily commutes due to practical considerations in their situation. For example, one participant explained that, in principle, they preferred to use public transportation rather than a bicycle, but that there was hardly any public transportation available where they currently lived in a rural area.

 “Well, I’d really prefer to take public transportation […] But it just depends on the circumstances; it’s not a simple yes or no. In the city, I like to take the tram or the bus. I don’t take the subway as often, but I use it when it’s available. It just has to be there.” (TP09, Response to Statement 2: I don’t know)

Following the same logic, test persons answered “I don’t know” in two other cases because they were unable to ride a bicycle due to acute knee pain.

§   “Hmm, yeah, that’s a tough one to answer. Right now, [because of my health situation], I obviously prefer driving to riding a bike.” (TP09, response to statement 1: I don’t know)

§  “That’s not quite right; I enjoy doing both. But right now, I naturally prefer walking to biking.” (TP07, response to statement 3: I don’t know)

Empfehlungen:

Items 1–3 should not be included in Question 5. For one thing, strictly speaking, they do not represent reasons that prevent people from cycling, but rather assess general mode of transportation preferences. Second, some respondents found it difficult to answer the question in principle, that is, independently of their specific daily routes, the modes of transportation available to them, or any health impairments—given the current question structure. Finally, the response options should allow respondents to indicate when they prefer two modes of transportation equally.

Item 3:

Now, please think of a route that you could travel both on foot and by bicycle.

In general: How would you prefer to travel a distance like this?

Ο I’d rather walk

Ο I’d rather ride a bike

Ο I like walking and biking equally 

Ο I don’t know