Racial and demographic differences in household travel and fuel purchase behavior

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5622641

Gur, Y; Millar, M

Monthly fuel purchase logs from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey's Household Transportation Panel (TP) were analyzed to determine the relationship between various household characteristics and purchase frequency, tank inventories, vehicle-miles traveled, and fuel expenditures. Multiple classification analysis (MCA) was used to relate observed differences in dependent variables to such index-type household characteristics as income and residence location, and sex, race and age of household head. Because it isolates the net effect of each parameter, after accounting for the effects of all other parameters, MCA is particularly appropriate for this type of analysis. Results reveal clear differences in travel and fuel purchase behavior for four distinct groups of vehicle-owning households. Black households tend to own far fewer vehicles with lower fuel economy, to use them more intensively, to purchase fuel more frequently, and to maintain lower fuel inventories than white households. Similarly, poor households own fewer vehicles with lower fuel economy, but they drive them less intensively, purchase fuel more frequently, and maintain lower fuel inventories than nonpoor households. Elderly households also own fewer vehicles with lower fuel economy. But since they drive them much less intensively, their fuel purchases are much less frequent and their fuel inventories are higher than nonelderly households. Female-headed households also own fewer vehicles but with somewhat higher fuel economy. They drive them less intensively, maintain higher fuel inventories, and purchase fuel less frequently than male-headed households. 13 refs., 8 tabs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5622641
• Report Number(s): CONF-870564-7; ON: DE88003126
• Resource Relation: Conference: Socioeconomic energy research and analysis conference, Washington, DC, USA, 21 May 1987; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
STATISTICAL DATA
TRANSPORTATION SECTOR
VEHICLES
FUEL CONSUMPTION
DEMOGRAPHY
EXPENDITURES
FUEL ECONOMY
GASOLINE
HOUSEHOLDS
INVENTORIES
MINORITY GROUPS
PRICES
DATA
FUELS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
LIQUID FUELS
NUMERICAL DATA
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POPULATIONS
320203* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Transportation- Land & Roadway
298000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Consumption & Utilization