Transportation Resources for Arlington County (TRAC) recognizes that the Hispanic/Latino population is a significant market for the County’s outreach and transportation-demand-management (TDM) efforts. Reaching this important segment requires more than simply translating existing materials into Spanish. Rather, it requires understanding the unique information needs for creation of effective communications and messaging.
To better meet the unique needs of this market, TRAC embarked on a program (supported by a grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation) called the TDM Marketing to the Hispanic Community Project.
The goals of this study were to
- Define current travel patterns among the Hispanic/Latino market in Arlington County
- Gauge awareness and perceptions of transportation options and related services in the County.
- Measure preferences for travel modes in and around the county.
- Determine barriers to non-SOV travel options. Identify motivators to non-SOV travel options.
- Evaluate effective communication messaging and methods for distributing those messages.
KEY FINDINGS
Arlington’s Hispanic Community is Making a Positive Contribution to the County’s Commute Mode-Split Goals
- Only 42% of respondents said that they drive alone for work.
- Two-thirds of respondents (67%) indicated that they take transit at least once in a typical week.
- As expected, transit use is significantly higher among those who do not have access to a personal vehicle.
- 76 respondents (27% of total sample) are Choice Riders, e.g. having access to a personal vehicle, but electing to use public transit.
- 22 percent reported traveling as a carpool passenger, driver or both for all types of trips. This is a lower rate than the 30 percent figure found for all Arlingtonian’s in the Arlington Analysis of the 2010 Regional Household Travel Diary Survey.
Travel Time is the Greatest Barrier to Taking Transit
The most frequently cited barriers to taking transit were the longer travel times when compared to other modes (32 percent of all respondents; 41 percent of those who are non-riders), and a mismatch between transit schedules and personal schedules (20 percent). Of note is that 19 percent of respondents said that irregular work schedules were a barrier.
The frequency with which survey respondents gave travel time as the reason for not taking transit (41 percent among non-riders) is similar to the 46 percent of Arlington residents who gave the same answer in the Arlington Analysis of the 2010 State of the Commute Survey. Note that the Hispanic Marketing Study asked about barriers to transit for all trips, not just commute trips as the State of the Commute Survey did.
One Third of Respondents Perceived Biking as Unsafe
Of all participants, 32% perceived biking as unsafe. This is higher than walking (19 percent) and driving (10 percent). The 2013 Capital Bikeshare Member Survey found that safety was a major barrier to more cycling as well.
Respondents Demonstrated Flexibility in Choosing Travel Modes
Approximately one third of choice riders (defined as those who reported taking transit but who have access to a personal vehicle) reported starting or increasing train use in the past six months; 33 percent said the same about riding buses, and 25 percent tried walking more. Interestingly, 10 percent of non-transit-riders said that they had tried bicycling in the past six months
Respondents were Not Familiar with TRAC Programs and Services
Differences in familiarity between “transit-dependent,” “choice riders,” and “non-riders” are not statistically significant. Given that respondents frequently reported receiving information about transportation by word of mouth, the surveyors recommend that TRAC find ways to communicate through these channels.
Similarly, recall of transportation-marketing messages were low, with 27 percent of respondents recalling seeing or hearing transportation-related messages. The Arlington Analysis of the 2010 State of the Commute Survey found that 60 percent of Arlington residents and employees had recalled seeing or hearing these kinds of messages.
Where do Respondents Want to Receive Transportation Information?
Respondents mentioned television most often (76 percent of respondents), followed by posters at transit stops and stations (71 percent) and community centers or community events (68 percent).
Because the surveyors fielded the questionnaires at community centers and events, the preference for receiving information there may be overstated when compared to the preferences of the general population.
Produce TDM Marketing in Spanish and English to reach both groups. English should be included, as 13% of the people in this study prefer receiving transportation information in English only.
The largest group, 53 percent, wanted to receive information in Spanish alone. A full 34 percent would be comfortable receiving information in either language, while 13 percent would like to receive information in English.
METHODOLOGY
A 15-minute questionnaire was designed by Transportation Resources for Arlington County, SIR, and LDA Consulting.
Spanish and English versions of the survey were created for both online and in-person fielding methodologies.
Each respondent was incentivized with a $5 CVS gift card.
A total of 277 completed interviews were achieved after clearing duplicate records and removing unqualified non-Hispanic respondents.
Due to fielding methodology, survey sample is one of convenience rather than truly random, skewing towards lower income brackets. Further, respondents listed up to nine adult household members, resulting in suspect household income reporting. The convenience (rather than random sample) yields a margin of error of plus or minus 5.9 percentage points at 95% confidence level.
Respondents live and/or work within the County.
By design, all respondents were required to be of Hispanic or Latino heritage. Five respondents indicated they were White/Caucasian as well as Hispanic/Latino.
The fieldwork was conducted from April through June of 2013.
Analysis involved comparing the responses on the following respondent characteristics
- Recall of transportation ads
- Arlington County residency
- Employment in Arlington County
- Length of residency in Arlington (less than 10 years and longer than 10 years)
- Demographic generation
- Gender
- Household size
- Employment status (full-time, part-time, not employed)
- Income (less than $40,000 per year and greater than $40,000 per year)
- Transit-ridership (non-riders, “transit-dependent,” and “choice riders.” For this survey, “choice riders” are defined as individuals who have to a personal vehicle but who also use public transit).