Americans Would Rather Have Shorter Commutes Than Larger Homes

8/2/13

More than six in 10 Americans (61%) would prefer to live in a smaller home and have a commute of 45 minutes or less over living in a larger home and having a commute of more than 45 minutes, according to the Urban Land Institute. More than seven in 10 baby boomers (72%) and 70% of people with post-graduate degrees prefer smaller homes with shorter commutes.

More than half of Americans (51%) prefer to live in a place where they have options for public transportation. About the same proportion (52%) consider convenient public transit an important community attribute. Among those who do not have access to public transit where they live, 51% are dissatisfied about the lack of transit; only 43% are satisfied (6% don’t know or did not respond). Among those without access to public transportation, people who rent their homes (73%), people with post-graduate education (69%), and single people (60%) are most likely to be dissatisfied with their lack of access to transit.

Three-quarters (75%) of those who do have access to public transit are satisfied with the quality of public transportation. People who live in the Midwest (82%) are most satisfied with the quality of their public transit; those who live in the South Atlantic (70%) are least satisfied.

Among the 63% of Americans who commute to work or school at least three days per week, 85% get there by car, 11% use public transit, and 5% ride bicycles or walk. Use of public transportation varies by location and demographic factors. City dwellers, African Americans, Hispanics, and members of Gen Y are significantly more likely than average to commute using public transit. Latinos are also more likely than others to use bicycles for transportation (not limited to commuting); 27% do so at least once a week, compared to 12% of overall Americans. Men are twice as likely as women to ride bikes weekly (20% vs. 9%). More than four in 10 Americans (44%) walk to a destination at least once a week, and 22% do so almost daily. Almost six in 10 big-city dwellers (59%) get around by walking at least once a week (39% do so almost daily).

Generational Differences

Members of Gen Y are the most likely to be currently living in cities and to choose big cities as their ideal places to live. They prefer to live in mixed communities in which shops and offices are located near residences and which include a range of housing such as apartments and single-family houses. Gen Y are most likely to use public transportation where they live now and most likely to say access to transit matters to them when deciding where to live.

The youngest and oldest generations have some housing preferences in common; members of these two groups are more concerned than average about walkability and access to public transportation. Gen Xers are least likely of all groups to be concerned about having access to public transportation, and they’re most likely to choose larger homes with longer commutes over smaller ones with shorter commutes.

Hispanics and African Americans are more likely than average to live in medium or large cities (58% of Hispanics and 47% of African Americans vs. 31% of Americans overall). They’re much more likely than non-Hispanic whites to rent rather than own; 63% of African Americans and 52% of Latinos rent, compared to 22% of whites.

African Americans are more likely than any other demographic group to prefer living in a mixed-use community-one that has shops, restaurants, and offices located within walking distance (75%). The majority of African Americans prefer to live in areas that include people of diverse incomes (63%) and a variety of types of housing (56%). Both African Americans (63%) and Latinos (54%) are likely to be planning to move within the next five years.

SOURCE: “Americans’ Views on Their Communities, Housing, and Transportation,” March 2013, Urban Land Institute, Trisha Riggs, VP Communications, 1025 Thomas Jefferson St., NW, #500 West, Washington, DC 20007; 202-624-7086; priggs@uli.org; www.uli.org/communitysurvey. Price: Available online at no charge.

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