German mobility panel
The German Mobility Panel (MOP) is a longitudinally oriented survey of the mobility behavior of the German population. The survey, commissioned and financed by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure , has been continuously investigating the mobility of private households in Germany since 1994. The focus of this study is on the everyday mobility of people and the mileage and fuel consumption of passenger cars (cars) in private households.
background
For a transport policy that is friendly to people and the environment , information is required about what mobility needs people have in their everyday life, how and why they use the various modes of transport, but also what constraints in terms of activities and mobility they are exposed to in their everyday life. Only on the basis of such information can the transport infrastructure be designed in such a way that it meets people's needs - today and in the future.
In addition to other statistics and surveys, the MOP represents an essential basis for the further development of the transport system in Germany. With its annual repetition, the MOP also provides a monitoring instrument for the development of transport demand.
The survey process
The MOP survey consists of two parts. In the first part, the everyday mobility of people over a period of one week is surveyed. In the second part of the survey, the use of cars (especially the distance traveled and fuel consumption) is examined.
In the first part of the survey (everyday mobility), members (aged 10 and over) are asked by representative households to fill out a travel diary over a period of one week. All journeys (changes of location) of the people are recorded with start and end times, purpose (e.g. way to go shopping, to work), means of transport used (e.g. bicycle, car) and distance traveled. In addition, the survey participants are asked to provide information about themselves (e.g. age, occupation) and their household (e.g. owning a car, number of people in the household). This part of the survey has taken place every autumn since 1994.
In the second part of the MOP, households that take part in the survey on everyday mobility and own a car are asked to also take part in the survey on car mileage and car fuel consumption. As part of this part of the survey, the participants fill out a tank diary for all cars in their household over a period of eight weeks. Information is recorded on the refueling processes that took place during the survey period, such as the amount and price of the fuel, date and mileage. In addition, the mileage and fuel level of the cars at the beginning and end of the survey period as well as other car characteristics (e.g. year of construction, cubic capacity, brand) are recorded. This part of the survey has taken place every spring since 2002.
Participation in the MOP is voluntary.
The MOP survey is structured as a panel survey with a rotating sample. This means that households in the MOP sample are asked to take part in the survey for three consecutive years. In addition, some of the households leave the sample every year and new households are recruited. Based on this survey design, the reasons for changing mobility behavior can be investigated on an individual level (e.g. due to the birth of a child, change of place of residence or job).
Sample and data
Every year between 750 and 1,800 households across Germany are surveyed across all household types about their everyday mobility. Every year around 1,600–3,100 people take part in the MOP and report on around 70,000 trips. Some of these participating households are also asked about the use and fuel consumption of their cars. As part of this so-called "fuel register survey", data on mileage and fuel consumption are collected for around 1,600 cars.
The data is available to the public and can be ordered from the transport clearing center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Longitudinal study
The German Mobility Panel is referred to as a longitudinal study for three reasons and thus differs from other surveys:
- The annual repetition, which allows observation and analysis of time series.
- The observation of the mobility of individuals over the period of one week or the observation of vehicles over the period of 8 weeks enables insights and analyzes into the regularity or irregularity of the mobility behavior.
- The approach as a panel with repeated questioning of the same test persons allows changes or stability in behavior to be observed and analyzed.