Sustainable Mobility Initiative “Move Green”: The Influence of Social Norms on the Choice of Transport

Jonė Vitkauskaitė-Ramanauskienė
Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, “Civil Society and Sustainability” research group

Current trends in car travel have a significant negative impact on the environment. Most of the transport planning measures currently applied in Lithuania and provided for in strategic documents are aimed at external barriers that prevent sustainable travel, i.e. choosing more environmentally friendly modes of mobility – public, non-motorized transport and walking instead of the car. However, the behavior of individuals is determined not only by external circumstances, but also by internal factors, otherwise known as socio-psychological factors. Therefore, to ensure sustainable mobility, it is important to create not only favorable external, but also internal conditions. In other words, it is important to apply measures aimed at internal barriers as well. Although there have been studies analyzing both external and internal factors determining mobility behavior in the context of Lithuania, there is a lack of solution-oriented research that develops and tests interventions aimed at promoting sustainable mobility behavior. The presentation will present an intervention model designed to influence the internal determinants of mobility behavior and thereby reduce car trips. This model was implemented in the form of the sustainable mobility initiative “Move Green”, in which workplaces in the city of Kaunas were invited to participate. During the presentation, the impact of the intervention model on travel behavior and the socio-psychological factors that influence it will be discussed – specifically, descriptive norms that indicate how individuals perceive the social acceptability of certain behavior and subjective norms that reflect how individuals understand the demands placed on them by those around them.