Ageing in a transit-oriented city: Satisfaction with transport, social inclusion and wellbeing: Fid-Bau Portal

Ageing in a transit-oriented city: Satisfaction with transport, social inclusion and wellbeing

He, Sylvia Y. / Thøgersen, John / Cheung, Yannie H.Y. / Yu, Alesia H.Y.

Abstract There is a rise in ageing populations worldwide, especially in cities, and policymakers are working to address this situation. In this light, it is necessary to understand the challenges faced by both the ageing population and the policymakers. Increased mobility enables individuals to perform fundamental tasks more easily and conveniently, such as going to work, accessing health services, and purchasing essential goods, besides other important activities related to recreation and socialisation. This paper examines the impact of satisfaction with transport systems on the social inclusion of older people and their wellbeing. We conducted a questionnaire survey in 18 elderly centres, one from each of the 18 districts in Hong Kong, in 2018, and used a structural equation model (SEM) with latent variables to estimate the effect of satisfaction with the most commonly used transport systems on wellbeing. Our results show that an older person's sense of community and satisfaction with their neighbourhood is strongly related to their satisfaction with transport systems. When the local transport systems are well-functioning, older people feel more socially included. Satisfaction with transport systems also has a strong effect on older people's physical and psychological wellbeing, after controlling for social inclusion. Our findings suggest that transport systems need to be adapted to become more inclusive of the older population to improve their mobility and wellbeing.

Highlights • Over 270 Chinese older adults were interviewed across 18 districts in Hong Kong. • Satisfaction with transport systems is important for older people's wellbeing. • Well-functioning transport systems make older people feel more socially included. • Higher satisfaction with transport systems leads to higher physical health. • Higher satisfaction with transport systems leads to improved psychological wellness.