Childhood Mobility Socialisation: The Influence of Social Environment, Infrastructure and Perception of the School Route on Active Mobility Modes

Ellmer, Hans Peter and Weiß, Vanessa and Seebauer, Sebastian and Bergmann, Irene and Gürtl, Karlheinz and Oswald, Elisabeth (2026) Childhood Mobility Socialisation: The Influence of Social Environment, Infrastructure and Perception of the School Route on Active Mobility Modes. EVERYBODY PLANS ... SOMETIMES. Cherish Heritage, Plan Now, Create a Better Future! Proceedings of REAL CORP 2026, 31st International Conference on Urban Development, Regional Planning and Information Society. pp. 223-230. ISSN 2521-3938

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Abstract

Mobility patterns established during childhood play an important role in shaping travel behaviour later in life. While transport planning has traditionally focused on infrastructure and spatial accessibility, research on mobility socialisation emphasizes that children’s everyday mobility is strongly embedded in social contexts. This study examines how social environment, infrastructural conditions, and route perception relate to active school travel among school-aged children. The analysis is based on a multi-site survey conducted between November 2024 and January 2025 at six school sites in rural areas and small towns in Styria, Austria. Pupils aged 6 to 14 years and their parents were surveyed. The study combines information on pupils’ school travel behavior with indicators of parental and peer influence, subjective assessments of the school route, and basic spatial and sociodemographic characteristics. Walking to school was analyzed using a logistic regression approach, while wheeled school travel (cycling and scooter use) was examined using descriptive and bivariate methods due to a limited number of cases. The results show that socialization processes are more influential than infrastructural factors. Walking to school is primarily associated with social environments, particularly peer practices and parental orientations, whereas infrastructure and route perceptions do not exert independent effects once social factors are considered. Wheeled school travel is mainly shaped by peer dynamics and age-related autonomy, with infrastructure acting as an enabling rather than determining condition. Overall, the findings suggest that strategies to promote active school mobility should extend beyond physical infrastructure and more strongly address social contexts, everyday practices, and peer dynamics in which children’s mobility is embedded.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Mobility socialisation, Active school travel, social environment, infrastructure, route perception
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
Depositing User:	The CORP Team
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2026 19:28
Last Modified:	09 Apr 2026 19:28
URI:	http://repository.corp.at/id/eprint/1384

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