The National Household Travel Survey provides information to assist transportation planners and policy makers who need comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the United States

Abstract

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) 2020 is the third round of the survey series designed to assess domestic transport and tourism travel patterns of South African households as well as their attitudes about transport. The NHTS collects data on general household characteristics, travel patterns of households, and attitudes about transport.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample design for the NHTS was based on a master sample (MS) that used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of PSUs from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs). A self-weighting design at provincial level was used and MS stratification was divided into two levels, primary and secondary stratification. Primary stratification was defined by metropolitan and non-metropolitan geographic area type. During secondary stratification, the Census 2001 data were summarized at PSU level. The following variables were used for secondary stratification, household size, education, occupancy status, gender, industry and income.

Census enumeration areas (EAs) as delineated for Census 2001 formed the basis of the PSUs. The following additional rules were used: • Where possible, PSU sizes were kept between 100 and 500 dwelling units (DUs); • EAs with fewer than 25 DUs were excluded. • EAs with between 26 and 99 DUs were pooled to form larger PSUs and the criteria used was same settlement type; • Virtual splits were applied to large PSUs: 500 to 999 splits into two; 1000 to 1499 splits into three; and 1500 plus split into four PSUs; and • Informal PSUs were segmented.

A Randomized Probability Proportional to Size (RPPS) systematic sample of PSUs was drawn in each stratum, with the measure of size being the number of households in the PSU. Altogether approximately 3080 PSUs were selected. In each selected PSU a systematic sample of dwelling units was drawn. The number of DUs selected per PSU varies from PSU to PSU and depends on the Inverse Sampling Ratios (ISR) of each PSU.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The survey questionnaire consisted of 9 sections: Section 1: General health and functioning, social grants and social relief Section 2: General travel patterns Section 3: Education and education-related travel patterns Section 4: Work-related travel patterns (age 15 years and above) Section 5: Business trips Section 6: Other travel patterns Section 7: General household information Section 8: Household attitudes and perceptions about transport Section 9: Survey officer questions

Abstract

The National Household Travel Survey 2020 is the third round of the survey series designed to assess domestic transport and tourism travel patterns of South African households as well as their attitudes about transport.

Geographic coverage

The survey has national coverage.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The sample design for the NHTS was based on a master sample (MS) that used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of PSUs from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs). A self-weighting design at provincial level was used and MS stratification was divided into two levels, primary and secondary stratification. Primary stratification was defined by metropolitan and non-metropolitan geographic area type. During secondary stratification, the Census 2001 data were summarised at PSU level. The following variables were used for secondary stratification; household size, education, occupancy status, gender, industry and income.

Census enumeration areas (EAs) as delineated for Census 2001 formed the basis of the PSUs. The following additional rules were used: • Where possible, PSU sizes were kept between 100 and 500 dwelling units (DUs); • EAs with fewer than 25 DUs were excluded; • EAs with between 26 and 99 DUs were pooled to form larger PSUs and the criteria used was same settlement type; • Virtual splits were applied to large PSUs: 500 to 999 split into two; 1 000 to 1 499 split into three; and 1 500 plus split into four PSUs; and • Informal PSUs were segmented.

A Randomised Probability Proportional to Size (RPPS) systematic sample of PSUs was drawn in each stratum, with the measure of size being the number of households in the PSU. Altogether approximately 3 080 PSUs were selected. In each selected PSU a systematic sample of dwelling units was drawn. The number of DUs selected per PSU varies from PSU to PSU and depends on the Inverse Sampling Ratios (ISR) of each PSU.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) ran from April 19, 2016, through April 25, 2017. It collected data on the demographic and socioeconomic composition of households, as well as detailed information on travel behavior nationwide. State transportation departments and metropolitan planning agencies had the opportunity to purchase extra household samples as part of the NHTS add-on program. These additional samples, along with national samples collected in the add-on areas, are compiled for use in transportation planning, forecasting, and research. The Indian Nations Council of Governments participated in the NHTS add-on program and received a total of 1,049 household samples in Oklahoma. (The total number of household samples nationwide is 129,112.)

The California-based origin-destination data addendum to the 2021 Next-Generation National Household Travel Survey covered the state of California and 16 counties in surrounding states. Conducted for the California Department of Transportation, it provided additional information and spatial granularity about people’s movements to, from, and within the areas under study. Data were collected in two zones: the core area (census blocks in the state of California) and the halo area (16 counties bordering California in Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona). All trips were assigned origin and destination zones, as well as a travel mode, purpose, and distance. Sociodemographic information related to age, income, and gender was also collected. Data records are available in two file types: a shapefile denoting the core and halo areas and a csv file in which each row is a unique combination of each origin-destination zone (excluding trips without a start or end point in California). Visit NREL’s Transportation Secure Data Center at https://www.nrel.gov/transportation/secure-transportation-data/tsdc-2021-next-generation-national-household-travel-survey-origin-destination-data-addendum-for-the-california-region.html for more information about this travel survey.

The 1995 American Travel Survey (ATS) was conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to obtain information about the long-distance travel of persons living in the United States. The survey collected quarterly information related to the characteristics of persons, households, and trips of 100 miles or more for approximately 80,000 American households. The ATS data provide detailed information on state-to-state travel as well as travel to and from metropolitan areas by mode of transportation. Data are also available for subgroups defined in terms of characteristics related to travel, such as trip purpose, age, family type, income, and a variety of related characteristics. The data can be analyzed at the regional, state, metropolitan area, and county level. NOTE: In 2001, the National Household Travel Survey was carried out. This new survey is a combined Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) and ATS. Visit the National Household Travel Survey web site << https://nhts.ornl.gov/ >> for more details.

This dataset presents the national household travel survey. The data covers parts of New South Wales, aggregated by Local Government Areas (LGA) for the year of 2010.

Data are collected by various states with different schema and harmonised by National Information Communications Technology Australia Ltd (NICTA).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a series of household surveys designed to provide regular, up-to-date data on personal travel and monitor changes in travel behaviour over time. The first NTS was commissioned by the Ministry of Transport in 1965. Further periodic surveys were carried out in 1972/73, 1975/76, 1978/79 and 1985/86 (the UK Data Service holds End-User Licence data from 1972 onwards and Special Licence and Secure Access data from 2002 onwards). Since July 1988 the NTS has been carried out as a continuous survey with field work being carried out in every month of the year, and an annual set sample of over 5,000 addresses. From 2002, the NTS sample was increased approximately threefold, to approximately 15,000 per year. The advantage of the continuous study is that users will be able to discern seasonal and cyclical movements as well as trend changes over time. The NTS is carried out primarily for the purposes of government. The most fundamental use of the National Travel Survey within the Department for Transport (DfT) is as core base data for key transport models. These are critical to the assessment and appraisal of transport scheme proposals (national and local), transport policy proposals, and contribute to the development of our long-term strategy. The NTS data is used to develop consistent sets of transport policies. Because it relates travel to travellers, it makes it possible to relate policies to people and to predict their impact. The survey provides detailed information on different types of travel: where people travel from and to, distance, purpose and mode. The NTS records personal and socio-economic information to distinguish between different types of people, and the differences in the way they travel and how often they do so. The NTS is the only source of national information on subjects such as walking which provide a context for the results of more local studies.

Further information may be found on the gov.uk National Travel Survey webpage.

End-User Licence, Special Licence and Secure Access NTS data
The UK Data Archive holds three versions of the NTS:

• the End User Licence (EUL) versions (SNs 5340 and 6108) contain a comprehensive range of NTS data at Government Office Region geographic level and should be sufficient for most research needs. EUL data are available to registered users of the UK Data Service (see the Administrative and Access section below for details).
• The Special Licence versions (SNs 7553 and 7804) contain more detailed travel (including accidents), demographic and socio-economic data, and the geographic level is Local Authority/Unitary Authority. Special Licence data are subject to more restricted access conditions.
• The Secure Access version (SN 7559) contains more detailed information and postcode sector geographies. Secure Access data are subject to further restricted access conditions, including the completion of a training course.

Full information about the variables contained at each level are available in the NTS Table Structures spreadsheet, available in the documentation.


This study comprises Special Licence Access NTS data for 1995-2001, which was first deposited in 2015. The variable names have been edited to match the newest NTS data and the contents of the files reflect reprocessing of older data done by the NTS team. The standard access End User Licence version of the NTS 1995-2001 is held under SN 6108.


Main Topics:

The 2002-2012 NTS includes:

• household variables: address type information, accessibility of public transport, access to amenities, household vehicle access, household composition and household socio-economic information;
• individual information: age, gender and marital status, social and economic information, frequency of use of various methods of transport, driving licences and type of vehicle driven, employment, occupation and industry details, income, place of work and travel to work, season ticket details, travel difficulties;
• vehicle information: vehicle type, registration details, parking, fuel type, mileage, engine capacity;
• trips: day, date and time, main mode, purpose, origin and destination information;
• stage: mode, number in party, distance, duration, costs;
• long-distance trips (over 50 miles): stage: mode, purpose, origin and destination;

Please see the Table Structures document available in the table below for the full list of variables.

This dataset presents the national household travel survey. The data covers parts of Queensland, aggregated by Local Government Areas (LGA) for the year of 2004.

Data are collected by various states with different schema and harmonised by National Information Communications Technology Australia Ltd (NICTA).

Abstract

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) 2013 is the second round of the NHTS series designed to assess travel patterns and transport problems in the country. The NHTS collects data on general household characteristics, travel patterns of households, and attitudes about transport.

Geographic coverage

The survey had national coverage

Analysis unit

Units of analysis in the survey were individuals and households

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample design for the NHTS 2013 was based on a master sample (MS) that used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of PSUs from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled primary sampling units (PSUs). A self-weighting design at provincial level was used and MS stratification was divided into two levels, primary and secondary stratification. Primary stratification was defined by metropolitan and non-metropolitan geographic area type. During secondary stratification, the Census 2001 data were summarised at PSU level. The following variables were used for secondary stratification; household size, education, occupancy status, gender, industry and income.

Census enumeration areas (EAs) as delineated for Census 2001 formed the basis of the PSUs. The following additional rules were used: • Where possible, PSU sizes were kept between 100 and 500 dwelling units (DUs); • EAs with fewer than 25 DUs were excluded; • EAs with between 26 and 99 DUs were pooled to form larger PSUs and the criteria used was same settlement type; • Virtual splits were applied to large PSUs: 500 to 999 split into two; 1 000 to 1 499 split into three; and 1 500 plus split into four PSUs; and • Informal PSUs were segmented.

A Randomised Probability Proportional to Size (RPPS) systematic sample of PSUs was drawn in each stratum, with the measure of size being the number of households in the PSU. Altogether approximately 3 080 PSUs were selected. In each selected PSU a systematic sample of dwelling units was drawn. The number of DUs selected per PSU varies from PSU to PSU and depends on the Inverse Sampling Ratios (ISR) of each PSU.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Report presenting the results of the National Travel Survey, a household survey designed to provide a databank of personal travel information for Great Britain.

Source agency: Transport

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: National Travel Survey

The 2012-2013 Delaware Valley Household Travel Survey collected data for multiple planning purposes such as the calibration of a new activity-based travel demand model. It features data from households across nine counties in the region, including southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) sponsored the survey, which was administered by Abt Srbi Inc. A sampling strategy was designed to recruit households for survey participation that would best represent overall regional travel trends. Households were selected randomly, but with special consideration given to under-represented geographies and transit propensity. On their assigned travel day, households were asked to record all trips made within a 24-hour period. Additionally, select households were chosen to participate in a wearable global positioning system (GPS) technology-based component of the study. A total of 811 participants wore the GPS system.

The National Travel Survey (NTS) was developed to fully replace the Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC record number 3810) and replace the Canadian resident component of the International Travel Survey (ITS record number 3152). The National Travel Survey collects information about the domestic and international travel of Canadian residents. The National Travel Survey provides statistics on the activities of Canadian residents related to domestic and international tourism. It was developed to measure the volume, the characteristics and the economic impact of tourism. For the Canadian System of National Accounts, NTS measures the size of domestic travel in Canada from the demand side.

The Seattle Household Travel Survey Wave 2, conducted in 1990, was the second wave in a 10-part longitudinal panel survey of the travel patterns of households in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. The survey series was initiated in 1989 by the Puget Sound Regional Council. Data collection for the second wave took place in the fall of 1990, which included full interviews and travel diaries, as well as some panel refreshment. Demographic and work trip data updates, but no travel diaries, were gathered for 2,023 households in four counties in the Seattle area. The survey relied on the willingness of study area residents to 1) provide demographic information about their household, its members, and its vehicles; 2) document all travel for each household member, aged 15 years or older, for an assigned two-day period; and 3) agree to participate in additional survey waves. After an initial telephone screening, survey participants received mailed travel diaries to aid in documenting travel information for the two-day assessment period. Respondents were instructed to record their mode of transportation, trip purpose, number of passengers, departure and arrival times, ride fare, and parking costs. Demographic information for this study includes age, gender, education, employment status, and household income.

The 2017/2018 Regional Travel Survey (RTS) collected demographic and travel information from a randomly selected representative sample of households in the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) jurisdictions and adjacent areas, which comprise the TPB model region. It is the primary source of observed data to estimate, calibrate, and validate the regional travel demand model. The model in turn is used for the travel forecasting and air quality conformity analysis of the region’s long-range transportation plan as well as to support other key program activities. The survey data is also used for analyzing regional travel trends and provides a comprehensive picture of travel patterns in the region. The RTS captured information on household, person, and vehicle characteristics in the recruitment survey, and actual observed trip information in a one-day travel diary, which household members recorded details of every trip taken on their assigned travel day.The Regional Transportation Data Clearinghouse (RTDC) Regional Travel Survey (RTS) Tabulations were prepared by TPB staff to provide an online resource for the RTS data to be used by practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders. The RTDC RTS Tabulations share the standard 2017/2018 Regional Travel Survey tabulations from the RTS which include the household, person, vehicle, and trip files. The purpose of the RTDC RTS Tabulations is to provide descriptive summaries of the data items from these files. These are first level tabulations of the RTS dataset that can be quickly pulled “off-the-shelf” when needed. Note that no cross tabulations are included in the RTDC RTS Tabulations. The user can perform customized tabulations and cross tabulations by requesting the RTS Public File.File DetailsThe RTDC_RTS_Tabulations.zip file contains the RTDC RTS Tabulations Matrix (RTDC RTS Tabulations Matrix.xlsx) that includes the tabulation variable, tabulation description, RTS source file, along with the corresponding file names. Tabulations were prepared for the entire RTS universe, in addition to County/Independent City Jurisdiction, Subregional Area, Activity Centers and Equity Emphasis Areas. For tabulations by Subregional Area, Activity Centers, and Equity Emphasis Areas, “Elsewhere” refers to outside of the TPB Planning Region but within the RTS Universe; almost all of these records are within the TPB Modeled Area. The tabulation files contain two standard data structures: 1) Universe Tabulations; 2) Jurisdiction, Subregional Area, Activity Centers, and Equity Emphasis Area Tabulations.There are two sets of RTDC RTS Tabulations contained in the following folders: 1) ‘All Records’ which includes all records in the RTS universe; and 2) ‘NotAscertRemoved’ which removed ‘not ascertained’ records before the tabulations were generated. Users should exercise discretion in determining which set of tabulations to use when conducting their analysis.Please see the Regional Travel Survey (RTS)- 'About the RTDC RTS Tabulations' Documentation for further details about the contents of this ZIP file. For more information about the RTS, please visit the RTS webpage. Should you have further questions about these tabulations or the RTS in general, please contact Ken Joh.

The 2017/2018 Regional Travel Survey (RTS) collected demographic and travel information from a randomly selected representative sample of households in the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) jurisdictions and adjacent areas, which comprise the TPB model region. It is the primary source of observed data to estimate, calibrate, and validate the regional travel demand model. The model in turn is used for the travel forecasting and air quality conformity analysis of the region’s long-range transportation plan as well as to support other key program activities. The survey data is also used for analyzing regional travel trends and provides a comprehensive picture of travel patterns in the region. The RTS captured information on household, person, and vehicle characteristics in the recruitment survey, and actual observed trip information in a one-day travel diary, which household members recorded details of every trip taken on their assigned travel day.From October 2017 through December 2018, the Regional Travel Survey (RTS) collected information on demographic and travel behavior characteristics of persons living in households in the metropolitan Washington region and adjoining jurisdictions. Under the oversight of COG/TPB, the survey was conducted by a nationally recognized transportation survey research firm, Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG). Previous COG/TPB regional household surveys for the Washington area were conducted in 1968, 1987/1988, 1994, and 2007/2008. This document describes the technical approach used for the RTS. It provides a brief overview of the survey methodology. Additional information about the survey methodology, including the questionnaire design, survey sampling, survey administration, targeted outreach, and survey response can be found in the final report prepared by RSG (Appendix A). Due to the complexity of multi-modal travel patterns in the National Capital Region, review and editing of the RTS data files was performed internally by staff familiar with travel patterns in the region. This report is primarily focused on the post-survey data processing and survey expansion performed by COG/TPB staff. Appendices also contain file format and file frequency tables for the final public release files.For more information about the RTS, please visit the RTS webpage.To download the RTS Tabulations, please visit the Regional Travel Survey (RTS) Tabulations page.The RTS Public File is also available by request.

The Yakima County Household Travel Survey was sponsored by the Yakima County Department of Public Works in Yakima, Washington, and it was conducted over a six-month period from December 2002 through June 2003. The study is an essential element in the transportation planning and modeling efforts for Yakima County. The purpose of the survey was to gather data on the socioeconomic characteristics and travel behavior of county residents, including household characteristics, person characteristics, vehicle characteristics, and travel-activity patterns. A total of 1,503 households were recruited to participate in the study, 1,107 of which provided travel data for all household members age 16 and older. Unweighted, the 1,107 households represent 3,084 persons (of which 2,221 were age 16 and older), had 2,138 vehicles available to them, and recorded a total of 7,369 trips.

The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a series of household surveys designed to provide regular, up-to-date data on personal travel and monitor changes in travel behaviour over time. The first NTS was commissioned by the Ministry of Transport in 1965. Further periodic surveys were carried out in 1972/73, 1975/76, 1978/79 and 1985/86 (the UK Data Service holds End-User Licence data from 1972 onwards and Special Licence and Secure Access data from 2002 onwards). Since July 1988 the NTS has been carried out as a continuous survey with field work being carried out in every month of the year, and an annual set sample of over 5,000 addresses. From 2002, the NTS sample was increased approximately threefold, to approximately 15,000 per year. The advantage of the continuous study is that users will be able to discern seasonal and cyclical movements as well as trend changes over time. The NTS is carried out primarily for the purposes of government. The most fundamental use of the National Travel Survey within the Department for Transport (DfT) is as core base data for key transport models. These are critical to the assessment and appraisal of transport scheme proposals (national and local), transport policy proposals, and contribute to the development of our long-term strategy. The NTS data is used to develop consistent sets of transport policies. Because it relates travel to travellers, it makes it possible to relate policies to people and to predict their impact. The survey provides detailed information on different types of travel: where people travel from and to, distance, purpose and mode. The NTS records personal and socio-economic information to distinguish between different types of people, and the differences in the way they travel and how often they do so. The NTS is the only source of national information on subjects such as walking which provide a context for the results of more local studies.

Further information may be found on the gov.uk National Travel Survey webpage.

End-User Licence, Special Licence and Secure Access NTS data
The UK Data Archive holds three versions of the NTS:

• the End User Licence (EUL) versions (SNs 5340 and 6108) contain a comprehensive range of NTS data at Government Office Region geographic level and should be sufficient for most research needs. EUL data are available to registered users of the UK Data Service (see the Administrative and Access section below for details).
• The Special Licence versions (SNs 7553 and 7804) contain more detailed travel (including accidents), demographic and socio-economic data, and the geographic level is Local Authority/Unitary Authority. Special Licence data are subject to more restricted access conditions.
• The Secure Access version (SN 7559) contains more detailed information and postcode sector geographies. Secure Access data are subject to further restricted access conditions, including the completion of a training course.

Full information about the variables contained at each level are available in the NTS Table Structures spreadsheet, available in the documentation.

2020 and 2021 Disclaimer:
Due to changes in the methodology of data collection, changes in travel behaviour and a reduction of data collected during 2020 and 2021, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, care should be taken when interpreting this data and comparing to other years, due to the small sample sizes. Please see the background documentation for further details of these changes.

Latest edition information:
For the thirteenth edition (September 2024), data and documentation for 2023 have been added to the study.

Data labels
Users should note that the SPSS and Stata files for 2023 have been converted from CSV format and do not currently contain variable or value labels. Complete metadata information can be found in the Excel Lookup table files and the NTS Data Extract User Guide within the documentation.

The Puget Sound Transportation Panel was initiated in the fall of 1989. The Seattle Household Travel Survey Wave 1, conducted in 1989, was the first wave in a ten-part longitudinal panel survey initiated by the Puget Sound Regional Council to assess the travel patterns of households in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. The panel intended to serve three basic objectives: 1) to be a metropolitan “current population survey” to track changes in employment, work characteristics, household composition, and vehicle availability; 2) to monitor changes in travel behavior and responses to changes in the transportation environment; and 3) to examine changes in attitudes and values as they affect mode choice and travel behavior. This collection contains the first set of panel data for households in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. A total of 1,687 households successfully completed a phone survey and returned completed travel diaries for household members age 15 and older. Respondents were instructed to record their mode of transportation, trip purpose, number of vehicle passengers, departure and arrival times, ride fare, and parking costs in a two-day trip diary. Demographic information for this study includes age, gender, education, employment status, and household income.

The Central Transportation Planning Staff conducted a household travel survey in 1991, featuring demographic, socioeconomic, and travel features of 2,347 households, generating 39,372 weekday trips. The survey took the form of an activity-based travel diary that each subject household filled out for one weekday. The data was used to estimate new models for trip generation, automobile ownership, trip distribution, and mode choice.