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Always on the move

Original title: Overwegend onderweg.

In recent decades people have begun travelling more often, for longer, over greater distances and for a greater variety of reasons than in the past. To a certain extent this is a positive development: people are dependent on mobility for their employment, for performing household and care tasks, for following education, maintaining social contacts and for a high proportion of their leisure activities. In this sense, mobility makes a key contribution to the welfare and well-being of people and society. There are also drawbacks, however, including reduced accessibility due to congestion, noise nuisance, air pollution and traffic accidents.

This study presents an overview of trends and changes in the amount of time Dutch people spend outside the home and on the move. The central questions are: How has the mobility of the Dutch developed in recent decades? Which social trends have influenced this? What differences are there between different population groups in time spent outside the home and mobility? How do the Dutch experience and perceive their day-to-day mobility?