摘要: |
This study examines the travel behaviour and attitudes of recently resettled refugees in Chittenden County, Vermont, with particular attention to distinctions based on gender and age. It is based on an earlier project conducted between 2008-2012 that examined transportation practices amongst recently arrived refugees in Vermont as a generalized group. One of the findings from that initial study was that more in-depth research was necessary in order to understand the ways in which mobility and access to transportation impact specific parts of the refugee population, especially women, children and the elderly. Drawing on qualitative research methods using techniques such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys, this current study examines what kinds of possibilities and various exist to full mobility for these sub sets of the refugee population. In addition one of the key goals of this project was to examine what particular mode choices were favored by refugees both within the larger community but also within these subgroups of the population. The study found that there are indeed some significant differences based on age and gender of travel patterns, choices and options for men, women and seniors in the newly resettled refugee communities. In particular while both women and the elderly within refugee families often had nominal access to a car, very few had driver's licenses and most described a dynamic where male family members were the primary (or only) drivers. Women and the elderly also showed greater levels of willingness to embrace alternative modes of travel, especially walking and using transit than the general male refugee population. However, both groups echoed the sense within the refugee community as a whole that private vehicle ownership was an important component of a successful acculturation experience. They explained this due to the greater levels of independence, flexibility, and self-sufficiency that cars provided in their lives. |