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Transitions into and out of Car Ownership among Low-Income Households in the United States

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  • Klein, Nicholas J.

    (Conrell University)

  • Basu, Rounaq
  • Smart, Michael J.

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

We examine transitions into and out of car ownership among low-income households. We use a novel online survey of U.S. residents to investigate why households lose access to a car, how long they are without a car, why they regain a car, and how these transitions affect their quality of life. We find that car ownership transitions are primarily motivated by economic security and insecurity. The median length of a car-less episode is 1.7 years, while black and Hispanic respondents experienced longer car-less episodes. Despite their precarious grasp on car ownership, respondents felt that owning a car was worth it.

Suggested Citation

  • Klein, Nicholas J. & Basu, Rounaq & Smart, Michael J., 2023. "Transitions into and out of Car Ownership among Low-Income Households in the United States," SocArXiv ka6nr_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:ka6nr_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/ka6nr_v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mitra, Suman K. & Saphores, Jean-Daniel M., 2017. "Carless in California: Green choice or misery?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1-12.
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