Persuasive communication aimed at public transportation-oriented residential choice and the promotion of public transport

In this study, we developed a persuasive communication program to induce public-transport-oriented residential (PTOR) choice. We implemented an experiment that targeted students from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, who were in the process of changing their residential location. These students were randomly assigned to four groups: the first group was a control group; the second group received an information brochure about apartment flats typically used by students in Tsukuba city; the third group received a brochure identical to the one given to the second group, except that it also included information about the level of bus service for every flat; and the fourth group was provided with a leaflet that provided motivation for PTOR choice, in addition to the brochure used for the third group. The residential locations were investigated 5 months after the intervention. There was a significant difference between the control group and the third and fourth groups. The ratio of PTOR choice in the group with the information was twice as high as that for the control group. Furthermore, the persuasive message also increased PTOR choice. Additionally, the target groups’ frequency of bus use from home or the university was significantly high compared with the control group. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014