Psychological Determinants of Sustainable Mobility Behaviors

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to sustainable mobility represents a pivotal challenge in addressing global environmental issues, including climate change, urban air quality, and resource depletion. However, achieving this transition depends not only on technological advancements and infrastructure improvements but also on understanding the psychological determinants that shape individual and collective mobility behaviors. This special issue explores the complex interplay of psychological factors influencing sustainable mobility choices, including attitudes, values, social norms, habits, emotions, and cognitive biases.

This special issue focuses on unraveling the psychological mechanisms underlying travel behavior, exploring topics such as the cognitive biases influencing car dependency, the role of identity and social norms in adopting active or shared mobility modes, and the emotional drivers of resistance or openness to change.

Drawing on established theoretical paradigms—such as the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Norm Activation Model, and Dual-Process Theories of decision-making—this collection of contributions interrogates the roles of attitudes, values, perceived behavioral control, habits, emotions, and social norms in shaping mobility-related decision-making. Contributions are encouraged to examine how psychological constructs—such as motivation, self-efficacy, and risk perception—interact with external factors like urban design, technology, and policy incentives to shape sustainable mobility patterns.

Additionally, the issue integrates cutting-edge empirical findings and methodological advancements to examine the psychological mechanisms driving resistance to, or adoption of, sustainable mobility practices. Particular attention is given to the design and efficacy of behavioral interventions, including nudges, motivational frameworks, and large-scale policy measures, in overcoming structural and cognitive barriers to sustainable mobility.

By synthesizing insights from environmental, social, and behavioral psychology, this special issue seeks to advance theoretical knowledge and inform evidence-based strategies to promote sustainable mobility.

The ultimate goal is to equip researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with evidence-based strategies to address the psychological barriers to sustainable travel and foster a collective shift toward environmentally and socially responsible mobility.

 In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:  

1. Psychological Theories Applied to Sustainable Mobility Behaviors

• Applications of the Theory of Planned Behavior and its extensions.
• The role of the Norm Activation Model in promoting sustainable mobility behaviors.
• Analyses of habit formation theories and their influence on transportation choices.

 2. Individual Factors Influencing Sustainable Mobility

• Attitudes, environmental values, and beliefs as determinants of mobility behaviors.
• The role of emotions (e.g., eco-anxiety, environmental guilt) in mobility decisions.
• Cognitive processes and biases, such as status quo bias or risk perception in sustainable transport.

3. Social and Cultural Determinants

• The influence of social norms and peer pressure on mobility choices.
• Cultural dimensions and cross-cultural differences in sustainable mobility practices.
• The impact of social inequalities on the adoption of sustainable transportation behaviors.

4. Psychological Barriers to Behavioral Change

• Analyses of perceived and structural barriers (e.g., convenience, accessibility, comfort).
• Understanding behavioral inertia and the persistence of unsustainable habits.
• Strategies to address the value-action gap (intention-action gap).

5. Behavioral Interventions for Promoting Sustainable Mobility

• The use of nudges to encourage public transport use and non-motorized transportation.
• Designing persuasive communication campaigns based on psychological theories.
• Community-based interventions to foster collective changes in mobility behaviors.

6. Interdisciplinary interweaving about human factors in Sustainable Mobility

• Psychological acceptance of emerging technologies, such as electric vehicles and micromobility.
• The impact of mobility applications (e.g., car-sharing, bike-sharing) on human behavior.

7. Longitudinal and Dyadic Perspectives

• Longitudinal analyses of changes in mobility behaviors over time.
• Dyadic studies exploring psychological dynamics within couples, families, or groups regarding transportation.

8. Psychology of Mobility and Public Policy

• Critical analyses of public policies and their psychological impact on sustainable mobility behaviors.
• Investigating the interplay between economic incentives and intrinsic motivation in sustainable transportation contexts.

9. Innovative Methodologies for Studying Mobility Behaviors

• Development and validation of psychometric tools to measure determinants of sustainable mobility.
• The use of field experiments and natural experiments to test psychological interventions.
• Interdisciplinary approaches combining psychology, behavioral economics, and transport sciences.

10. Future Perspectives and Emerging Challenges

• The role of the COVID-19 pandemic in reshaping mobility behaviors.
• Psychology and climate justice: ensuring equity in access to sustainable mobility solutions.
• Exploring the link between sustainable mobility and psychological well-being.   

I look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Federica Biassoni
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainable mobility
• psychological determinants
• transportation behavior
• mobility behavior change
• psychological barriers
• behavioral interventions
• psychological interventions
• sustainable behavior promotion