Workforce commuting and subjective well-being

Commuting to and from work can constitute a significant proportion of a person's day and can have a considerable impact on one's well-being. Using the UK Time Use Survey (UKTUS) dataset, the experienced well-being effects of commuting, in terms of enjoyment, were evaluated relative to other daily activities. Commutes using passive modes of transport (e.g., car, train) were found to be the least enjoyable activities carried out in the day. Commuting using active modes of transport (e.g., cycle, walk) was also amongst the least enjoyable activities, although enjoyment of active commuting was significantly higher than that of passive commuting. This paper also assessed differences in the experienced well-being of other daily activities (such as working and physical exercise) during the workday between those who did and those who did not commute. Using a series of multilevel analyses, commuting was shown to have little impact on an individual's enjoyment of the other daily activities in which they partake. Enjoyment of all daily activities was found to be just as high on workdays on which participants commuted using active modes of transport as on non-commuting workdays. With the exception of only Personal Care activities and Sleep, there were no meaningful differences in enjoyment of any daily activities between any of the three commuting workday groups and non-commuting workdays.