COMMUTING AND WELLBEING: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND POLICY INSIGHTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52123/1994-2370-2025-1426Keywords:
commuting, wellbeing, bibliometric analysis, VosViewerAbstract
Commuting’s impact on wellbeing is a growing focus in urban planning and public policy, reflecting its influence on daily life and health. Despite extensive research, quantitative analysis remains limited. This article conducts a bibliometric review of commuting and wellbeing literature from 1987 to 2024, using Scopus data (N=404). The analysis explores publication trends, key contributors, and thematic areas, identifying the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Germany as primary research centers. Prominent journals include Journal of Transport and Health and Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, with institutions such as Utrecht University and the University of Melbourne leading in research on commuting’s psychological and socioeconomic effects. Results indicate an increased focus on commuting’s health, inequality, and environmental impacts since 2020. It is anticipated future studies will explore technological innovations in commuting and their long-term impacts on diverse social groups, underscoring this field's ongoing evolution.
References
Humphreys, D.K., Goodman, A. & Ogilvie, D., 2013. Associations between active commuting and physical and mental wellbeing. Preventive Medicine, 57(2), pp.135–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.04.008.
Mytton, O., Panter, J. & Ogilvie, D., 2016. Longitudinal associations of active commuting with wellbeing and sickness absence. Preventive Medicine, 84, pp.19–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.12.010.
Hilbrecht, M., Smale, B. & Mock, S.E., 2014. Highway to health? Commute time and well-being among Canadian adults. World Leisure Journal, 56(2), pp.151–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2014.903723.
Jacob, N., Munford, L., Rice, N. & Roberts, J., 2018. The disutility of commuting? The effect of gender and local labor markets. Regional Science and Urban Economics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2019.06.001.
Ma, L. & Ye, R., 2019. Does daily commuting behavior matter to employee productivity? Journal of Transport Geography, 76, pp.130–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.03.008.
Van Eck, N.J. & Waltman, L., 2009. Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), pp.523–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3.
Van Eck, N. & Waltman, L., 2011. Text mining and visualization using VOSviewer. ArXiv, abs/1109.2058.
Page, M.J., Moher, D., Bossuyt, P.M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T., Mulrow, C.D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J., Akl, E.A., Brennan, S., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M.M., Li, T., Loder, E., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S. & McKenzie, J.E., 2021. PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, n160. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n160.
Abusaada, H. & Elshater, A., 2022. Notes on Developing Research Review in Urban Planning and Urban Design Based on PRISMA Statement. Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11090391.
Dickerson, A., Hole, A.R. & Munford, L., 2014. The relationship between well-being and commuting revisited: Does the choice of methodology matter? Regional Science and Urban Economics, 49, pp.321–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2014.09.004.
Lorenz, O., 2018. Does commuting matter to subjective well-being? Journal of Transport Geography, 66, pp.180–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.11.019.
Wang, Y. & Sousa-Poza, A., 2018. Commute time and subjective well-being in urban China. China Economic Review, 48, pp.188–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2016.03.002.
Chatterjee, K., Chng, S., Clark, B., Davis, A., De Vos, J., Ettema, D., Handy, S., Martin, A. & Reardon, L., 2019. Commuting and wellbeing: A critical overview of the literature with implications for policy and future research. Transport Reviews, 40(1), pp.5–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2019.1649317.
Roberts, J., Hodgson, R. & Dolan, P., 2011. "It's driving her mad": Gender differences in the effects of commuting on psychological health. Journal of Health Economics, 30(5), pp.1064–1076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2011.07.006.
Wheatley, D., 2014. Travel-to-work and subjective well-being: A study of UK dual career households. Journal of Transport Geography, 39, pp.187–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2014.07.009.
Morris, E.A. & Zhou, Y., 2018. Are long commutes short on benefits? Commute duration and various manifestations of Well-Being. Travel Behaviour and Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2018.02.001.
Abou-Zeid, M., Witter, R., Bierlaire, M., Kaufmann, V. & Ben-Akiva, M., 2012. Happiness and travel mode switching: Findings from a Swiss public transportation experiment. Transport Policy, 19(1), pp.93–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2011.09.009.
Abou-Zeid, M. & Ben-Akiva, M., 2011. The effect of social comparisons on commute well-being. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 45(4), pp.345–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2011.01.011.
Abou-Zeid, M. & Ben-Akiva, M., 2012. Well-being and activity-based models. Transportation, 39(6), pp.1189–1207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-012-9387-8.
Chng, S., White, M.P., Abraham, C. & Skippon, S., 2016. Commuting and wellbeing in London: The roles of commute mode and local public transport connectivity. Preventive Medicine, 88, pp.182–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.04.014.
Lancée, S., Veenhoven, R. & Burger, M., 2017. Mood during commute in the Netherlands: What way of travel feels best for what kind of people? Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.025.
Zhu, J. & Fan, Y., 2018. Commute happiness in Xi’an, China: Effects of commute mode, duration, and frequency. Travel Behaviour and Society, 11, pp.43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2018.01.001.
Smith, O., 2017. Commute well-being differences by mode: Evidence from Portland, Oregon, USA. Journal of Transport & Health, 4, pp.246–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2016.08.005.
Guell, C., Panter, J., Jones, N.R. & Ogilvie, D., 2012. Towards a differentiated understanding of active travel behaviour: Using social theory to explore everyday commuting. Social Science & Medicine, 75(1), pp.233–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.038.
Martin, A., Goryakin, Y. & Suhrcke, M., 2014. Does active commuting improve psychological wellbeing? Longitudinal evidence from eighteen waves of the British Household Panel Survey. Preventive Medicine, 55(5), pp.448–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.08.032.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Кенжехан Кабдесов, Динара Мусабалина, Saban Celik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
