Are Adolescents’ Decisions to Cycle to School Linked to Their Parents’ Cycling Behaviour?

This study examines whether adolescents are more likely to cycle to school when their parents do, and whether this influence differs between female and male adolescents. Using 3,017 school trips from the Victorian Integrated Survey for Travel and Activity (VISTA), separate multinomial logit models were estimated for each group. Findings show that parental cycling significantly increases adolescents’ likelihood of cycling, with a stronger effect for females. These findings demonstrate that parental behaviour plays a crucial role in shaping active school travel.