The role of well-being in transport policy

Well-being, quality of life and happiness are gradually making their way into such diverse areas as economics, national benchmarking and public health. Yet despite this growing emphasis on the importance of psychological well-being, there is little attention devoted to how the transport system can influence life satisfaction. This paper explores the role that well-being currently plays in transport policy and scopes out its potential to inform transport policy in future. Based on a review of the psychological literature, a model is proposed that hypothesises that transport influences life satisfaction indirectly through facilitating access to important life domains and directly through physical mobility and externalities. Preliminary studies in transport provide support for this model. Policy implications are discussed and areas of future research using this framework are suggested.

► Governments and policy-makers are seeing the importance of supporting psychological well-being. ► Few researchers have considered whether transport can influence well-being. ► Early empirical research suggests that transport can influence well-being in some situations. ► It is theorised that it does so through access to activities, physical mobility and externalities. ► More research is needed to understand the impact transport policy can have on life satisfaction.