Environmental norms, transport priorities and resistance to change associated with acceptance of push measures in transport

The negative short- and long-term consequences of excessive car use in urban areas are well-documented. The core aim of the present study was to investigate the relative role of environmental norms, transport priorities and resistance to change for acceptance of transport push measures in an urban Norwegian public with car access. A questionnaire survey was carried out in a randomly selected representative sample of the Norwegian population in six urban regions obtained from the Norwegian population registry (n=881). Regression analysis showed that transport priorities and resistance to change added to the explained variance in acceptance of transport push measures, while adjusting for environmental norms in the Norm Activation Model (NAM) and demographic characteristics. Awareness of consequences and personal norms were associated with more acceptance, whereas priorities of flexibility and priorities of safety and security were associated with a low acceptance of transport push measures. Emotional reactions to change were also related to a low acceptance of these measures. SEM supported the assumptions in the NAM theory, but a direct relation between awareness of car use consequences and acceptance of transport push measures was found to improve model fit. A short-term focus on change was also related to a low ascription of responsibility in the NAM. High education was the sole demographic characteristic associated with more acceptance of transport push measures. Campaigns aimed to promote acceptance of transport push measures need to consider additional factors to environmental norms. The findings suggest that people who prioritize travel flexibility and safety and security need to be focused in order to increase acceptance of transport push measures in the urban public. Furthermore, efforts to promote environmentally significant behaviour may benefit by taking the resistance to change trait into account.