The Travel Behavior Of Minority Cohorts In Texas

Abstract

Texas is changing dramatically; the most conservative population forecast indicates that Hispanics will account for 50% of the Texas population before 2035. Not only is the number of Hispanics on the rise in Texas, but also the foreign-born share has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. The State of Texas is now a majority minority state, and minority cohorts are expected to grow and become more than 65% of the Texas population before 2035. Transportation professionals in the State of Texas are wondering how these demographic changes will affect the transportation system. To gain an understanding of this, one must consider the prevalent travel behavior and attitudes of these minority groups, their cultural preferences, and their traveling mode preferences. This research provides an understanding of the travel behavior of Texas' burgeoning minority cohorts, and assists in identifying potential transportation policy concerns. For this analysis the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Add-On for the State of Texas is used, because it allows us to examine respondents by race/ethnicity and immigrant status. This study also helps determine how the travel behavior of minority cohorts may impact the state's transportation system in the near future, and possible implications to travel demand models are offered. In addition, this research attempts to foster further research on the travel behavior of burgeoning minority populations within the state of Texas. This study provides descriptive statistics, and multivariate models that examine the travel behavior of minority cohorts.