ABSTRACT
Scholars claim that the Millennials have lower affinity for automobile travel as compared to their parents and therefore could truly be a sustainable generation in terms of their travel behaviour. Building on the research in Chapter 15, this chapter lays out a detailed theoretical framework to explain why we might expect the Millennials to travel differently than prior generations. The chapter then offers an analysis of Canadian data on Millennial mobility patterns. Multiple studies have established the lower automobile travel demand of the Millennials during the past decade. However, as several authors have argued, there is little evidence that the lower demand reflects a fundamental shift in travel behaviour. Lowering of travel demand coincided with a deep economic recession, and scholars argue that this lower automobility was an outcome of unemployment and lower household incomes. Therefore, it may be premature to celebrate the lower rates of automobile travel by the Millennials. Analysis of data from the Greater Toronto Area finds a difference between younger and older Millennials, regardless of geography. Young Millennials were driving less and using public transit more as compared to the Generation X, but the older Millennials were “catching up” with Generation X. This chapter concludes by advocating for exposing Millennials to alternative transportation early on, which may lead them to use these modes as they progress through the life cycle.
