Heart and mind in public transport: Analysis of motives, satisfaction and psychological correlates of public transportation usage in the Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia Tricity Agglomeration in Poland

Here, we present two studies (N = 159 and N = 164) conducted in the Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia Tricity Agglomeration in Poland in order to investigate satisfaction motives and psychological correlates of public transportation usage. In the first study, the satisfaction with public transportation is correlated with the perceived quality of life. This relationship was mediated by the dimension of place attachment labeled as “place discovered” (Lewicka, 2012). The second study concentrated on analyzing the role of individual motives in people's decisions to use public transportation (vs. a car). Firstly, we examined possible motives for the use of public transportation. Similar to studies focused on car users, the results revealed that using public transportation fulfills both instrumental as well as affective-symbolic functions. These affective-symbolic motives correlated with all dimensions of place attachment, and with connectedness to nature, universalism and European identity as well. Finally, the consequences for social and environmental research are discussed.