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Almost 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. are devoid of access to dependable transportation, rendering it one of the nation’s most prevalent forms of material hardship, report scholars from the University of Michigan.
In a recently published article in Social Indicators Research, the researchers discovered that 19% of adults noted experiencing transportation insecurity in the previous month—contrasted with 16% who faced food insecurity, 13% with unmet medical requirements, 9% with housing instability, 7% encountering challenges with bill payments, and 4% experiencing utility disconnections.
The researchers indicate that transportation challenges have been neglected in national discussions surrounding material hardship for many years due to the absence of a reliable metric.
This void has now been addressed by the Transportation Security Index, a scientifically validated tool created by Alexandra Murphy, the associate director of social science research at Mcity, in collaboration with colleagues Alix Gould-Werth and Jamie Griffin.
“Transportation insecurity hinders individuals from accessing crucial locations important for their well-being—such as jobs, healthcare providers, grocery stores, and family. This research demonstrates that it’s not only widespread, but also intricately linked with other forms of hardship,” Murphy stated, who also holds positions at the Institute for Social Research and Poverty Solutions.
The investigation, conducted in partnership with Natasha Pilkauskas from the Ford School of Public Policy and ISR’s Population Studies Center, employed a nationally representative survey from 2022 to assess the relationship between transportation insecurity and other hardships, along with its health implications.
The index that facilitated this research was not created instantaneously. With initial funding from the Population Studies Center, Murphy and Gould-Werth began formulating a definition for transportation insecurity in 2014.
Their index, capturing individual experiences with transportation insecurity—such as arriving late to places due to unreliable transport or avoiding trips altogether—has now been embraced by government organizations, including the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and will feature in the next wave of the renowned Health and Retirement Study.
“The research indicated that individuals with lower incomes, those with disabilities, and residents of urban regions are particularly susceptible to transportation insecurity—and frequently encounter other hardships concurrently,” Gould-Werth noted, who earned her doctorate from U-M. “Food insecurity particularly stands out as being closely linked to transportation issues.”
The researchers identified that these two challenges frequently occur in tandem and found that the demographic groups most likely to suffer from transportation insecurity are also disproportionately affected by other difficulties—highlighting how various challenges can compound for the same individuals.
The study also correlates transportation insecurity with adverse health outcomes. Adults facing transportation difficulties are 6% more likely to report poor health and 11% more likely to experience depressive symptoms, with an association magnitude comparable to that observed with food insecurity and unmet medical needs.
“This was the first investigation to investigate the extent of the relationship between transportation insecurity and other forms of material hardship,” Pilkauskas remarked. “We now understand that transportation hardship mirrors food insecurity—and it may be equally essential to tackle it if we aim to enhance health and well-being across the nation.”
A recent document from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine referencing the Transportation Security Index urged for the broader application of instruments to measure transportation insecurity, signifying that this topic is capturing national focus.
“Our method reflects the logic of the Food Security Index developed in the 1990s,” Murphy explained. “We concentrated on the manifestations of transportation insecurity at the individual level—how it affects people in their daily lives—rather than emphasizing their means of travel, destinations, or their neighborhoods.”
As highlighted in the National Academies’ report, this represents a vital shift “extending the conventional focus from the physical performance of infrastructure to understanding whether transportation meets individuals’ needs” and empowering researchers to “uncover less apparent transportation solutions.”
As policymakers pursue strategies to alleviate poverty and enhance health, scholars assert that transportation needs to be integral in these discussions. Addressing how people navigate their daily lives could prove as essential as ensuring food availability, the scholars contend.
“In a time when millions of Americans may lose essential government benefits and the cost of everyday goods is escalating, this work also urges us to gain a deeper understanding of the connections between transportation insecurity and other hardships,” Murphy expressed. “Could enhancing transportation ease food insecurity or allow families to…
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Is it about paying their utility expenses? Or the opposite? Gaining a clearer insight into how these challenges impact Americans and connect with each other could be vital for tackling the rising requirements.
Authored by Fernanda Pires and Tevah Platt
Associated articles:
Transport insecurity in Detroit and beyond
No transport, no healthcare: New initiative offers ‘mobility wallets’ to assist residents with medical visits
U-M research reveals 1 in 4 adults face transport insecurity
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