Modeling of Discretionary Activities of Non-Workers in a City in India

This paper concentrates on the decision of non-workers to participate in shopping and recreation in Calicut city, a major urban center in Kerala, in India. The non-workers in the present study comprise of homemakers and the retirees. Activity and travel details collected using home interview survey formed the data base for the study. Multinomial logit models are used for analyzing the participation behaviour of non-workers in these activities. Age, travel mode, availability of household vehicles, presence of school going children, day of the week and time of day are some of the variables influencing these choices. The outcome confirms the previous findings on factors affecting non-work participation behaviour of non-workers in these activities. These models have wide applicability in determining the travel behaviour of non-workers and can serve as a major input to travel demand forecast.