Edinburgh Napier University

  In this study, we use survey data (n=6,000) to investigate the work trip patterns of Scottish residents at various points of the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus specifically on the reported patterns of weekly work trips made during the government-enforced lockdown and subsequent phases of restriction easing. This is of particular importance given the widespread changes in work trips prompted by COVID-19, including a significant rise in telecommuting and a reduction in public transport commuting trips. The survey data show that the vast majority of respondents (~85%) made no work trips during lockdown, dropping to ~77% following the easing of some work-related restrictions. Zero-inflated hierarchical ordered probit models are estimated to determine the sociodemographic and behavioral factors affecting the frequency of work trips made during three distinct periods. The model estimation results showed that socioeconomic characteristics of respondents influenced work trips made throughout the pandemic. In particular, respondents in households whose main income earner is employed in a managerial/professional occupation were significantly more likely to make no work trips at all stages of the pandemic. Those with a health problem or disability were also significantly more likely to make no work trips throughout the pandemic. Other interesting findings concern respondents’ gender, as males were more likely to complete frequent work trips than females throughout the pandemic, and differences between densely populated areas and the rest of Scotland, as respondents from a large city (Edinburgh or Glasgow) were significantly more likely to make frequent work trips as restrictions were eased.