No Cover Image

Journal article 1565 views 131 downloads

Motonormativity: how social norms hide a major public health hazard

Ian Walker Orcid Logo, Alan Tapp, Adrian Davis

International Journal of Environment and Health, Volume: 11, Issue: 1, Pages: 21 - 33

Swansea University Author: Ian Walker Orcid Logo

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1504/ijenvh.2023.135446

Abstract

Decisions about motor transport, by individuals and policy-makers, show unconscious biases due to cultural assumptions about the role of private cars – a phenomenon we term motonormativity. To explore this claim, a national sample of 2157 UK adults rated, at random, a set of statements about driving...

Full description

Published in: International Journal of Environment and Health
ISSN: 1743-4955 1743-4963
Published: Inderscience Publishers 2023
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65167
Abstract: Decisions about motor transport, by individuals and policy-makers, show unconscious biases due to cultural assumptions about the role of private cars – a phenomenon we term motonormativity. To explore this claim, a national sample of 2157 UK adults rated, at random, a set of statements about driving (“People shouldn’t drive in highly populated areas where other people have to breathe in the car fumes”) or a parallel set of statements with keywords changed to shift context (“People shouldn’t smoke in highly populated areas where other people have to breathe in the cigarette fumes”). Such context changes could radically alter responses (75% agreed with “People shouldn’t smoke...” but only 17% agreed with “People shouldn’t drive...”). We discuss how these biases systematically distort medical and policy decisions and give recommendations for how public policy and health professionals might begin to recognise and address these unconscious biases in their work.
Keywords: Transport, sustainability, active travel, physical activity, public health, unconscious bias, prejudice, decision-making, cultural influences
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Issue: 1
Start Page: 21
End Page: 33

Similar Items