Cell phone distraction behavior of young pedestrians: evidence from China

Abstract

Cell phone use while walking escalates pedestrian safety risks, particularly among students, given their heavy reliance on these devices. Psychological factors wield significant influence on individual behavior, particularly among adolescents who navigate a blend of rational and social-reactive pathways in decision-making. Therefore, this paper employs the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) to scrutinize psychological determinants of students’ cell phone use while walking, drawing on data from 368 valid samples. Structural equation modeling (SEM) dissects the impact of psychological constructs on this behavior, highlighting the significance of both the social response and reasoning pathways within PWM. The study comprehensively analyzes direct, indirect, and overall effects of exogenous variables on behavioral intention and behavior.

Keywords:

• Cell phone distraction
• pedestrians
• Prototype Willingness Model
• young adults

Disclosure statement

The authors declare they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant number 52062039, the authors thank their supports.