Daily (im)mobility behaviours in France: An application of hurdle models

Our approach consists in improving the characterisation of the determinants of reported mobility without eliminating individuals who made no trip during the reference period. Sociodemographic factors that influence the decision to be mobile (vs. not making a trip) are not necessarily the same as those that influence the intensity of mobility among mobile individuals. This paper contains an assessment of hurdle models in comparison to simpler regression models. For two-part decision econometric models (hurdle and type II models), we focus on the factors influencing, firstly, the decision to travel, and secondly, the level of mobility. We consider the number of trips and the daily distance budget stated by respondents to the household travel survey which was conducted by phone in the Rhône-Alpes region between 2012 and 2015. The aim is to improve our understanding of the determinants of immobility and to estimate a function that links daily mobility level to socioeconomic characteristics given that a significant proportion of the survey population (9%) reported making no trip.