More Money or Better Procedures? Evidence from an Energy Efficiency Assistance Program

We contribute to the literature on how program design affects program performance among vulnerable groups by studying the effects of varying the subsidy level and program procedures in an energy efficiency assistance program targeting low-income households in Germany. Eligible households receive, upon enrolment, a voucher to subsidize refrigerator replacement. The voucher is redeemed against cash following replacement. Observing the decisions of 77,305 eligible households, our RDD design exploits two quasi-exogenous temporal discontinuities in voucher value and program procedures. We find that a switch from automatic to elective enrolment and more rigid voucher terms reduces the number of vouchers in circulation, but raises the replacement rate among eligible households, the key performance metric, by 4 to 10 percentage points, consistent with psychological theories of goal setting and time management. A subsidy increase of e50 raises replacement rates by 9 to 16 percentage points. The effect of procedural changes is equivalent to an additional e34 in subsidy. Back-of-the-envelope calculations highlight that low-cost changes in procedures that target the behavioral responses of low-income households represent plausible areas of unexploited economies in program design and merit systematic investigation

Workshop Synthesis: Behavioral changes in travel – challenges and implications for their identification and measurement

Transportation policy measures aim to motivate people to change their travel behavior (e.g. to use sustainable modes of transportation instead of a car). Furthermore, life events (e.g. birth of a child, retirement) often result in changes in travel behavior. On the other hand, structural processes (e.g. the exchange of differently car-socialized cohorts) might result in changes in travel volumes as well, but the underlying reasons for this cannot be regarded as behavioral changes. A major goal in the workshop was to find a comprehensive definition of behavioral change. Based on this definition, methodological approaches have been discussed and distinguished from each other and methods for the identification and measurement of behavioral changes by use of different methodical approaches have been revealed

Large-eddy simulation of a nocturnal stratocumulus-topped marine atmospheric boundary layer: An uncertainty analysis

A large-eddy simulation (LES) model has been used to study a nocturnal stratocumulus-topped marine atmospheric boundary layer. The main objectives of our study have been first to investigate the statistical significance of LES-derived data products. Second, to test the sensitivity of our LES results with respect to the representation of subgrid-scale mixing and microphysical processes, and third to evaluate and to quantify the parametric uncertainty arising from the incomplete knowledge of the environmental parameters that are required to specify the initial and boundary conditions of a particular case study. Model simulations were compared with observations obtained in solid stratocumulus during the third flight of the first 'Lagrangian' experiment of the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX). Based on these simulations the following conclusions could be drawn. Resolution (50 x 50 x 25 m(3)) and domain size (3.2 x 3.2 x 1.5 km(3)) of the LES calculations were adequate from a numerical point of view to represent the essential features of the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer. However, the ensemble runs performed in our study to investigate the statistical significance of LES-derived data products demonstrate that the area-time averaging procedure for the second-order moments produces only a low degree of statistical reliability in the model results. This illustrates the necessity of having LES model results that are not only of adequate resolution but also of sufficiently large domain. The impact of different subgrid schemes was small, but the primary effects of drizzle were found to influence the boundary-layer structure in a climatologically significant way. The parametric uncertainty analysis revealed that the largest contribution to the variance of the LES-derived data products is due to the uncertainties in the cloud-top jump of total water mixing ratio and the net radiative forcing. The differences between the model and measurements for most of the simulated quantities were within the modelling uncertainties, but the calculated precipitation rate was found to differ significantly from that derived in the observations

Exploring the role of individuals’ attitudes in the use of on-demand mobility services for commuting – A case study in eight Chinese cities

The use of on-demand mobility (ODM) services has increased in Chinese cities and is used by people for various purposes, such as leisure activities or commuting. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze factors that play a role in the use of ODM services for commuting of high-income earners in China. In previous studies, this group of people was identified as extremely relevant for ODM use as they can afford the services in principle. A specific focus of this study is on the influence of travel mode attitudes as well as sociodemographic characteristics. The data set used in this study was collected with the innovative travel skeleton approach based on information given by high-income individuals. The survey took place in eight different Chinese cities with 5,192 respondents. They have provided insights on their everyday travel (e.g., commuting) and attitudes towards car and public transit. To investigate the role of psychological factors behind the use frequency of ODM services, we applied a factor analysis to identify latent factors from psychological item sets used. Next, we integrated them into an ordered hybrid choice model (OHCM). The results show that people’s perceived public transit experience increase the probability to use ODM more often for commuting. We suggest a strong interrelation between public transit and such services, even among people with high incomes

How Late Reporters Effect Data Quality in Longitudinal Surveys – Experiences From the German Mobility Panel

Survey design always has a significant influence on the outcomes. Therefore, this paper investigates how follow-up campaigns affect survey outcomes and response rates in longitudinal surveys. Furthermore, it is assessed how late reports in the fall affect survey outcomes. The analyses are based on the unique data of the German Mobility Panel. Overall, this paper paints a broad picture of the methodological aspects and overlapping effects that should be considered before starting the fieldwork of longitudinal surveys. The results indicate that people who are reminded to participate positively influence the survey outcomes - even when the report is belated

Workshop Synthesis: How to Collect and Use Longitudinal Data?

This paper is based on the presentations, papers and discussions of workshop “Longitudinal data” at the ISCTSC conference in Porto Novo in March 2022. The presentations and discussions are primarily based on three different panel surveys that represent different approaches and designations. All these surveys have to struggle with typical challenges. The paper discusses the analytical characteristics and the designation of longitudinal surveys, addresses the problems and challenges of longitudinal surveys and will sum up the discussed strategies, in which a long-term continuity of such surveys can be secured

Balancing Innovation and Continuity – Experiences with Survey Design Adaptations of the German Mobility Panel

The German Mobility Panel is one of the longest-lasting studies with a basically unchanged design in mobility behaviour research world-wide. As a result one central asset of this study is the provision of time series data. Nevertheless in repeated surveys, design changes are sometimes inevitable due to new research questions or external developments. Since 1994 the German Mobility Panel has seen only minor design adaptations. After nearly 20 years with a more or less unchanged design, declining participation rates by certain person groups and new survey methods have required fundamental changes in the survey design. This paper describes design changes to the German Mobility Panel in 2013 and analyses the first outcomes generated by the methodological changes

How the COVID-19 pandemic changes daily commuting routines – Insights from the German Mobility Panel

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on everyday travel and, by extension, everyday commuting. During the pandemic, some people were able to work from home while others continued commuting. This study examines how commuting behavior changed between 2019 and 2020. In this study, we analyze panel data of the German Mobility Panel, a national household travel survey. We paint a broad picture of the characteristics and behavior of those who commuted during the pandemic. The analyses focus on the intra- and interpersonal differences and are presented in a mostly descriptive way. The results show that people with low income and a low level of education are primarily those who cannot work from home and do not have flexible working hours. The results further show that especially public transport has lost importance in daily commuting. However, those who commuted in 2019 and 2020 did not significantly change their commuting behavior regarding commuting time and commuting mode