The contrasted evolution of cycling during youth. Determinants of bicycle ownership and use

Abstract

Cycling during youth is characterized in many countries by two trends: its decline over the course of several decades (termed the generation effect) and its decline over the life course of individuals (the age effect). This paper addresses the age effect through a survey carried out among young people aged 12–20 (n = 1,358) in a Swiss city. It goes beyond the cyclist/non-cyclist dichotomy and identifies several cases in terms of skills (ability to ride a bike), access (ownership of a bike), and uses (reasons for and frequency of cycling). While most young people (98%) learned how to ride a bike as a child, an important minority do not continue cycling beyond childhood. Among those who continue, the use of the bike often changes over time to become less utilitarian and more recreational and occasional. The main determinants explaining cycling practices among young people are socialization (the parents’ cycling practices and level of education), gender, and the spaces of everyday life (place of residence and school). The results point to several levers to foster cycling among young people, to anchor sustainable mobility practices for years to come.

Keywords:

• cycling
• mobility
• modal choice
• socialization
• youth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 These are the most recent figures available.

2 The choice of this age range was determined by the Swiss school system. Participants were mainly aged 13 to 19. Some children aged 12 and some aged 20 are included and added to the youngest and oldest age groups. This is due to the age of schooling of the young people and their date of birth.

3 An urban region is defined by a core city and its suburbs (suburban and peri-urban municipalities).

4 The International Standard Classification of Education (UNESCO) is the international reference classification for the organization of educational programs.

5 By the utilitarian practice of the parents, we mean regular use (often or sometimes) of the bicycle to go to work or to travel for purchases, activities or to visit relatives.

6 As cycling practice varies a lot during the year (school and holiday weeks, weekdays or weekends, Summer or Winter), we tried to find a scale that would be understandable for young people aged from 12 onwards, while having a gradual increase in frequency. The frequencies 'often', 'occasionally' and 'never' are therefore used without further clarification, but provide a useful indicator to distinguish a regular, occasional or inexistant practice.

7 While occasional cycling is stable among boys, it varies more strongly among girls (36% at 15 compared to 22% at 16). Recreational use also decreases among girls from the age of 16, whereas it remains stable among boys.

8 Girls’ utilitarian cycling often decreases during youth, and almost disappears by the age of 19–20. For boys, utilitarian cycling falls sharply between the ages of 14 and 17 (from 52% to 13%) but then stabilizes at between 14 and 18%.

Additional information

Funding

This study has been funded by the Federal Roads Office, with the support of the City of Yverdon. The authors would also like to thank Lucas Haldimann for his collaboration on the study.