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Why We Travelled

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For persons 18 years and over at an overall level, almost one quarter (23.6%) of journeys in 2019 were work related journeys, while over one fifth (21.3%) were for shopping. A further one fifth of journeys were companion/escort journeys. Over one in ten (10.4%) of journeys taken were for visits to friends or family, while a further 9.3% were for the purposes of entertainment/leisure/sports. See Table 3.1.

Females were nearly twice as likely as males to make a journey for accompanying another person – 24.7% of females compared with 13.4% of males. This represents an increase of five percentage points on the same survey period in 2016 (19.6%). Companion/escort journeys are journeys where the purpose of the respondent’s journey is to collect/escort somebody else. Examples include collecting or escorting somebody to their place of education, collecting or escorting somebody to a childcare facility, etc. One in ten (10.1%) journeys by females were for visiting family or friends, while a similar number of journeys (10.8%) carried out by males were for this purpose. Over one tenth (10.2%) of journeys made by males were for entertainment, leisure or sports purposes, compared to 8.7% of journeys taken by females. See Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1.

Table 3.1 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and sex, 2014, 2016 and 2019

MaleFemale
Work28.820
Education2.13.2
Shopping22.320.6
To eat or drink3.63.3
Visit family / friends10.810.1
Entertainment / leisure / sports10.28.7
Personal business5.15.6
Companion / escort journey13.424.7
Other3.63.9

Table 3.2 shows the distribution of journeys by degree of urbanisation. Where a person lives does not seem to have any significant effect on the reasons for making journeys. See Table 3.2.

Table 3.2 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and degree of urbanisation, 2014, 2016 and 2019

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In 2019, over three in ten (31.4%) of work-related journeys were journeys of 8 kilometres or more, while 18.2% of such longer journeys were for shopping. Shorter shopping trips of less than two kilometres accounted for over one quarter (26.5%) of journeys of less than two kilometres. Almost three in ten (29.5%) journeys of less than two kilometres were companion/escort journeys. See Table 3.3 and Figure 3.2.

Table 3.3 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and distance, 2014, 2016 and 2019

WorkEducationShoppingTo eat or drinkVisit family / friendsEntertainment / leisure / sportsPersonal businessCompanion / escort journeyOther
<2 kms14.22.426.54.57.96.93.629.54.4
2<4 kms17.42.925.63.59.211.14.922.13.4
4<6 kms22.13.816.95.410.212.46.419.53.2
6<8 kms22.33.521.92.88.913.15.718.83.1
8+ kms31.42.518.22.412.48.66.214.63.7

Over four in ten journeys that took between half an hour and one hour were work-related – 43.9% of journeys of duration 31 to 45 minutes and 40.6% of journeys that took between three quarters of an hour and one hour in duration were work-related. One third (33.5%) of journeys that took more than one hour were work-related. See Table 3.4 and Figure 3.3.

Of journeys that were much shorter, less than quarter of an hour, almost one quarter (24.3%) were companion/escort journeys. See Table 3.4.

Table 3.4 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and duration, 2014, 2016 and 2019

WorkEducationShoppingTo eat or drinkVisit family / friendsEntertainment / leisure / sportsPersonal businessCompanion / escort journeyOther
15 mins or less182.424.149.894.724.33.6
16-30 mins26.23.121.53.212.19.6615.72.6
31-45 mins43.91.712.11.75.99.1711.96.8
46-60 mins40.63.912.92.38.511.579.24.2
>60 mins33.55.26.221910.56.7115.8
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Almost four in ten (39.4%) of journeys by public transport for persons residing in Dublin, were work-related, compared to over a third (34.1%) of public transport journeys in the rest of the country. Nearly one quarter (23.5%) of private car journeys (as driver or passenger) of persons residing in Dublin were work-related, while one fifth (20.1%) were for the purpose of shopping. Companion/escort journeys accounted for 22.4% and 22.7% respectively of private car journeys of persons residing in Dublin and outside of Dublin. See Table 3.5.

Table 3.5 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and mode of travel, Dublin and all regions excluding Dublin 2019

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Over three in ten (31.3%) journeys taken by persons aged 18 to 34 years were for work, compared with 28.7% of journeys taken by persons in the 35 to 54 years age group for the same purpose. By comparison, only 13.4% of journeys taken by persons aged 55 years and over were work-related. See Table 3.6 and Figure 3.4.

Over three in ten (31.8%) journeys taken by persons aged 55 years and over were for shopping.  In the same age group, over one in eight (12.7%) journeys were for visiting friends and family, while 11.2% were for the purpose of entertainment/leisure/sports. See Table 3.6 and Figure 3.4.

Companion/escort journeys accounted for nearly three in every ten (28.8%) trips taken by persons in the 35 to 54 years age group, nearly twice the number of journeys taken by persons aged 18 to 34 years (16.4%) for this purpose. Just one in ten (9.8%) trips taken by persons aged 55 years and over were companion/escort journeys. See Table 3.6 and Figure 3.4.

Table 3.6 Percentage distribution of journeys by purpose and age group, 2014, 2016 and 2019

WorkEducationShoppingTo eat or drinkVisit family / friendsEntertainment / leisure / sportsPersonal businessCompanion / escort journeyOther
18 - 3431.36.817.44.3109.52.816.41.7
35 - 5428.72.214.82.38.87.93.828.82.7
55+13.41.731.84.712.711.28.79.86

Go to next chapter: When We Travelled