Ashmore, DP;
Pojani, D;
Thoreau, R;
Christie, N;
Tyler, NA;
(2018)
The symbolism of 'eco cars' across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer.
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
, 63
pp. 560-575.
10.1016/j.trd.2018.06.024.
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Abstract
Transport choices are not merely practical decisions but steeped in cultural and societal perceptions. Understanding these latent drivers of behaviour will allow countries to develop and import policies to more successfully promote sustainable transport. Transport symbolism – what people believe their ownership or use of a mode connotes to others about their societal position – has been shown to be one such, non-trivial, hidden motivator. In the case of hybrid and electric cars (‘eco cars’), studies have demonstrated how their symbolic value varies within a society among different social groups. As yet, however, there has been scant research into comparing how the symbolism of a mode varies across national cultures, horizontally, between individuals with similar socio-demographic characteristics. Through qualitative thematic analysis, this study utilises two of Hofstede’s cross-cultural indices – power differential and individualism versus collectivism – to develop and strengthen theory on how the differing symbolism of eco cars currently varies between four cultural clusters – Anglo, Nordic, Confucian and South Asian. It also deliberates how observed symbolic qualitative differences may influence an individual or group choice to procure eco cars. Finally, it discusses how policy development, transfer and marketing, within the context of eco cars, may need to be modified by national governments, in the Confucian and South Asian cultures, so as to encourage uptake and modal shift.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The symbolism of 'eco cars' across national cultures: Potential implications for policy formulation and transfer |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.trd.2018.06.024 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2018.06.024 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Technology, Environmental Studies, Transportation, Transportation Science & Technology, Environmental Sciences & Ecology, Symbolism, Hybrid cars, Electric cars, National culture, Latent motivation, Policy transfer, ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION, MARKET PENETRATION, URBAN TRANSPORT, HYBRID VEHICLES, INCENTIVES, HOFSTEDES, MODELS, DRIVE, CHINA |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10066076 |
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