For some, the dream of suburban or even rural living could come with many benefits, but it can also expose a glaring disadvantage.
Around the same time I entered the third grade, I remember that the family of one of my cousins called it quits on city living, leaving their neighborhood in Queens to surround themselves with nature up in the Hudson Valley in Upstate New York.
💰💸 Don’t miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet’s FREE Daily newsletter 💰💸
But for as much as my family could marvel at the fact that they lived next to mountains and wide open spaces, we noticed one flaw: everything was a long drive away. In the neighborhood in Queens they moved away from, the local grocer was within a 10-15-minute walk, and other local restaurants and shops were steps away from their former residence. Upstate, the nearest grocery store was a 20-minute drive, while the local mall was a 35-minute drive.
Individuals have their own reasons for moving to certain places and adopting certain lifestyles. However, a new study from researchers at Arizona State University suggests that an overreliance on driving might do more harm than good.
Cars are seen along the New Jersey Turnpike in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Heavy car reliance has a negative effect on ‘life satisfaction,’ ASU researchers suggest
According to a study led by ASU urban planning PhD candidate Rababe Saadaoui, extreme dependence on cars affects Americans’ quality of life. The study notes that while having a car can improve life satisfaction, driving for more than half (50%) of one’s activities outside the home is linked to decreased life satisfaction.
“Car dependency has a threshold effect – using a car just sometimes increases life satisfaction, but if you have to drive much more than this, people start reporting lower levels of happiness,” Saadaoui told The Guardian. “Extreme car dependence comes at a cost, to the point that the downsides outweigh the benefits.”
Saadaoui and other ASU researchers came to this conclusion after they surveyed a representative group of people around the United States about their driving habits and life satisfaction. To find a link between the amount of driving they do and their happiness, the researchers used a statistical model that factored in other key variables, including income levels, family dynamics, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and if they have a disability.
More Automotive:
Stellantis’s STLA frame platform could be the future of trucksSubaru CEO could shift U.S. strategy following Trump winFeds to require new cars to have an ‘annoying’ safety feature
According to Saadaoui, the results could be caused by several factors related to negative aspects of driving, including the pressure to beat traffic, having little to no contact with other people in their big, metal cocoons, the loss of physical activity as a result of walking less, and the financial commitment that comes with owning, maintaining, and insuring a car.
The lead researcher notes that while driving can be an overall stressor, the dynamic landscape of America provides some people with little or no choice.
“Some people drive a lot and feel fine with it, but others feel a real burden,” she said. “The study doesn’t call for people to completely stop using cars, but the solution could be in finding a balance. For many people, driving isn’t a choice, so diversifying choices is important.”
Related: Move over Ford, this automaker had the most recalled cars in 2024
ASU researchers emphasize that cars aren’t the evil ones here
Americans do indeed live in a very car-dependent society, as many commutes outside of large metropolitan centers are nearly impossible using other means like public transportation.
According to the latest research conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 52% of all trips conducted using a car were under just three miles.
Despite promising to fund public transportation, the USDOT under the Biden-Harris Administration has continuously prioritized automotive infrastructure.
According to an analysis of the administration’s landmark 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by Transportation for America, $432 billion is set to revitalize highways through 2026. Meanwhile, $109 billion will go into transit over the same period, and $102 billion will go towards revitalizing passenger rail.
Most recently, the USDOT announced in October that it intends to send $62 billion to state agencies to build and fix roads within fiscal year 2025.
In their writing, the researchers emphasize that city planners and designers should do whatever they can to address this problem, advocating for what they call “multimodality and land use patterns that may help to reduce car dependence and its potential negative effect on subjective wellbeing;” essentially ways to build roads and other infrastructure to get unhappy drivers away from cars and into alternative modes of transport.
Related: Veteran fund manager issues dire S&P 500 warning for 2025
