CHAPTER 6
National Household Travel Survey and American Time Use Survey

So far, the focus of this report has been on data sources that are available from the Census Bureau. However, the FHWA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and other agencies also produce data sources that can be used to get a picture of travel behavior in the country. Two main data sources discussed in this chapter are the NHTS and the ATUS.

6.1 NHTS

The NHTS is a comprehensive source of information on personal travel behavior in the United States. It is used by the Administration, Congress, policymakers, and transportation planners to study daily travel patterns, including travel mode (private vehicle, public transportation, pedestrian, and cycling) and trip purpose (work, school, recreation, and personal/family trips).

The NHTS has been conducted periodically since 1969. Early surveys were conducted in 1969, 1977, 1983, 1990, 1995, and 2001, with the most recent surveys completed in 2009, 2017, and 2022. The NHTS is the only national source of data on how Americansʼ travel behavior is changing in response to demographic, economic, and cultural shifts.

Under Title 23, United States Code, Section 502, the U.S. DOT is authorized to conduct advanced research in transportation to measure the performance of the nationʼs surface transportation systems, including efficiency, energy use, air quality, congestion, and safety. The U.S. DOT is responsible for maintaining a database of current information on national travel patterns to better understand travel behavior, evaluate transportation facility usage, and assess the impact of U.S. DOT policies and programs.

NHTS data are widely used to support research needs within the U.S. DOT, as well as the research needs of state and local agencies. As discussed in Transportation Research Circular E-C217, the data have also been used to respond to queries from Congress, the research community, and the media on important transportation-related topics such as (2016):

• Travel to work patterns by vehicle mode to study infrastructure improvements and congestion reduction;
• Access to public transit, paratransit, and rail services by various demographic groups;
• Incidence of vehicle ownership at various income levels;
• Measures of travel by mode to establish exposure rates for highway safety analyses;
• Bike and walk travel for safety and heath measures; and
• Support for federal, state, and local planning activities and policy evaluation.

Within the U.S. DOT, FHWA is responsible for the technical and funding coordination of the NHTS. Other primary data users and financial supporters include NHTSA, FTA, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The importance of reliable data for evidence-based decision-making is underscored by recent changes in travel behavior and the transportation communityʼs emphasis on performance measurement. The NHTS faces the challenge of providing the diverse range of information needed to support a wide array of transportation decisions in the current environment.

The NHTS provides crucial data on individual travel behavior trends linked to economic, demographic, and geographic factors that influence travel decisions and help predict travel demand. These data are unique and not available from any other source, as they are collected directly from a stratified random sample of U.S. households. The NHTS data inform research and policy initiatives related to safety, congestion, finance, mobility, accessibility, and forecasted demand.

6.2 NHTS Content

The content of the NHTS can be divided into three categories:

• Core content. This includes data that have been collected consistently since the first survey in 1969. These data encompass characteristics of each household member, household income, worker and driver status of household members aged 16 or older, limited data on each household vehicle, and an inventory of all trips taken in a specified 24-hour period. The core dataset makes up the majority of the survey and accounts for most of the respondent burden.
• New topics. With each new survey, contemporary transportation issues are included, along with respondent opinions on the transportation system. The topics selected are designed to encourage participation and provide data on current issues. In the 2017 survey, new topics included public health, active transportation, accessibility, and the impacts of technology and the internet on transportation.
• Add-on questions. Each add-on jurisdiction includes six questions specifically for respondents in their respective areas.

FHWA collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to study walking and biking behavior, encourage the use of these modes of travel, and provide data to measure trends in non-motorized travel.

Transportation Research Circular E-C217 (2016) notes that new questions added to the 2016 survey included the following:

• At the household level:
  • Location choice (four add-on questions),
  • Home internet access,
  • Home deliveries,
  • Investment priorities (two add-on questions),
  • Participation in follow-up studies (six add-on questions),
  • Long distance travel (five add-on questions),
  • Airport choice (two add-on questions),
  • Shopping trips, and
  • Childrenʼs travel to school;
• At the person level:
  • Student status,
  • Workers,
  • Use of transit (two add-on questions),
  • Work schedule,
  • Seasonal variations,
  • Long distance travel,
  • Use of alternative modes and park-and-ride,
  • Impact of fuel prices,
  • Active transportation, and
  • Factors and attitudes;
• At the trip level:
  • Toll and parking cost (where applicable),
  • Mode-specific details, and
  • Why transit for this trip?

6.3 ATUS

According to the American Time Use Survey Userʼs Guide: Understanding ATUS 2003 to 2023, the ATUS is the first federally administered, continuous survey on time use in the United States, sponsored by the BLS and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The main goal of the survey is to develop nationally representative estimates of how people spend their time. Respondents are randomly selected from a subset of households that have completed their eighth and final month of interviews for the Current Population Survey (CPS). They are interviewed only once about their activities on the previous day, including the location and with whom they participated in these activities (2024).

The survey provides valuable information on the amount of time Americans spend on various activities, such as unpaid, nonmarket work (e.g., childcare, eldercare, housework, and volunteering), religious activities, socializing, exercising, and relaxing. ATUS also collects data on whether respondentsʼ activities were done for their job or business and gathers demographic information including sex, race, age, educational attainment, occupation, income, marital status, and the presence of children in the household. Most of the demographic data come from earlier CPS interviews (American Time Use Survey Userʼs Guide: Understanding ATUS 2003 to 2023 2024).

ATUS data help researchers understand how people in the United States divide their time among various commitments, such as childcare, work, leisure, religious activities, and volunteering. Sociologists can use the data to determine the average amount of time fathers or mothers spend with their children, how much time people spend with colleagues and friends, and how much time people spend working outside the office. Knowing how respondents spend their time and with whom is particularly useful to transportation planners and travel demand modelers as it helps provide an understanding of joint household participation in different types of activities (American Time Use Survey Userʼs Guide: Understanding ATUS 2003 to 2023 2024).