130510-NTS Presentation To Eurostat - 17 June 2013
130510-NTS Presentation To Eurostat - 17 June 2013
130510-NTS Presentation To Eurostat - 17 June 2013
Great Britain
Presentation to Eurostat
17 June 2013
Lyndsey Melbourne
Department for Transport, UK
Agenda
Background to the ‘National Travel
Survey (NTS)’ in Great Britain
Sample design, training & fieldwork
Data collection
Data linking
Weighting
Publication / Users of NTS data
Future of the NTS (inc. GPS pilot)
Questions
Background to the NTS
Large household survey
First survey in 1965. Continuous since 1988
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) became
the contractor in 2002
Sample size tripled in 2002 to allow single year analysis
Overall response rate is around 60% each year
achieved: n = 8k households, 19k people
Weighted for non response since 1995
All household members, including children
Continuous survey
The UK Government commissioned the first NTS in
1965/1966, and it was repeated on an ad-hoc basis in
1972/1973, 1975/1976, 1978/1979, and 1985/1986.
In July 1988, the NTS became a continuous survey (i.e.
fieldwork was conducted on a monthly basis). Advantages:
Up-to-date evidence available for policy development and
monitoring travel trends
Lower set-up costs
Higher quality data – interviewer expertise retained, higher
response rates
Why is the NTS important?
Measures long-term trends in personal travel
behaviour within Great Britain
Index: 1972/73 = 100 Trips Time spent travelling Distance travelled
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Source: NTS 2011
Why is the NTS important?
The only national data source available to answer key
questions on:
How? Walk, cycle, bus, car, train…
Why? Commute, travel to school,
shopping…
Who? Children, elderly, low/high incomes,
with/without a car,
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/36548/nts2011-technical.pdf
NTS Statistical Release
www.gov.uk
958
trips per person 364
per year
+0.2%
hours spent
travelling pppy
6,826 miles
+3%
distance travelled
pppy
+53%
Recent uses within DfT
High Speed 2 – NTS data underpins DfT modelling tools which
contributed to the economic business case.
NTS results were included in support materials, e.g. leaflet showing
charts of trend in long-distance rail travel and socio-economic profile of
rail travellers.
http://www.racfoundation.org/research/mobility/on-the-move-main-research-page
Future of the NTS
Public consultation on the future design of the NTS:
June-Sept 2011
The proposals covered four areas:
Moving to a GPS methodology
Reducing the length of the questionnaire
Geographic coverage
Amending the methodology of the survey to make cost savings.
GPS data collection pilot
Drivers were:
Reducing respondent burden & costs
Improving data quality
Modernising methods
GPS data collection pilot
Mobitest GPS logger with accelerometer;
Collected data from nearly 900
respondents aged 12+, in Feb & March
2011 (sub-sample of main survey);
Slighter lower response rate (52% for
GPS pilot, 59% completed diary).
GPS data processed by Eindhoven
University of Technology (TU/e).
Analysis of results - comparing diary
data for same period to GPS data.
GPS data collection pilot
GPS version of the NTS does not produce similar
results to diary collection.
Fewer trips and stages in the GPS data.
Time taken and average trip length was longer.
GPS data had more trips to/from home and fewer trips to/from
work than diary; 25% of trips were missing either a 'to' or 'from'
purpose code.
Suspect GPS processing identified 'tours' rather than trips.
https://www.gov.uk/transport-statistics-notes-and-guidanc
e-national-travel-survey
Future of the NTS
7-day travel diary
Contract with NatCen renewed for fieldwork
2013-2017
Reduced costs (34% saving) and respondent
burden:
Shorter interview (removed questions)
Items removed from diary, e.g. tolls/congestion charge,
children playing in street on day 7, taxi costs
England residents only sample, no data collection in
Scotland and Wales from 2013
Thank you for listening
Any questions?
Contact details
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-
transport/series/national-travel-survey-statistics