Jumping in the car, getting on a train or combining bus and train: for many, these gestures are part of the daily routine of getting to work. But a groundbreaking study carried out by the Institut Terram (a think tank devoted to territorial dynamics) and the Alliance pour la santé mentale (Alliance for Mental Health) amongst 3,300 French people--and unveiled on Tuesday 29 April--reveals that our daily journeys weigh heavily on our psychological well-being. And this is especially the case when commutes are long or complicated by traffic jams on the motorway or delays and works along the railways.
It’s an observation that particularly resonates in Luxembourg, where 47% of employees (or more than 230,000 cross-border workers, according to the latest Statec figures) make more or less chaotic journeys from France, Belgium and Germany every day.
Depression and stress: worrying figures
According to the study, the difficulties encountered during commutes are a significant factor in psychological distress. Amongst people who have already suffered from depressive symptoms, 41% feel that their journeys have played a role in their unhappiness. The same is true for stress or anxiety (43%), burnout (43%) or taking antidepressants (44%).
More generally, almost one-third of students and working people say that their home-to-work or home-to-study journeys have already affected their health or precipitated severe fatigue.
Young people and single parents more exposed
Not all commuters are affected in the same way. According to the survey, young adults are particularly exposed: 35% of 18-34 year-olds feel that their journeys have a negative effect on their well-being, compared with 22% of 50-64 year-olds. Whether this is a case of wisdom or resignation in the case of “senior citizens,” the study does not say.
Although they are less likely to point to mobility as a cause of ill-being, women remain structurally more at risk.
Single parents are another group particularly affected. Fatigue, mental workload, disturbed sleep: their symptoms are well above average. When they feel angry, 43% of them attribute it partly to travel problems, compared with 21% of people without children.
Long journeys: an increased risk
Distance is also a major factor. Two-thirds of people who travel more than 50km a day say that their journeys have a negative impact on their morale. This percentage drops to 19% among those whose daily commute is less than five kilometres. The situation of cross-border commuters, whose journeys often exceed one hour morning and evening, is a perfect illustration of this phenomenon.
Generally speaking, 57% of those questioned felt that the lack of transport solutions limited their professional, social or cultural opportunities. And 52% say that they have to organise their whole lives around the constraints of travel, with a clock constantly ticking in their heads.
Public transport: stress and opportunities
The mode of transport used also influences the level of stress experienced. Walking is the least stressful (14%), followed by private cars (17%). Public transport causes more stress: 34% of users of the metro, tram or RER feel a great deal of stress, compared with 30% of bus or carpool users and 28% of train passengers.
However, despite the sources of stress, public transport also offers positive opportunities. Amongst regular users, 87% say they use this time to think, 81% to consult digital content, 78% to relax, 74% to organise their day and 66% to socialise.
Better thinking about mobility
In conclusion, the study invites us to look beyond a purely technical or economic vision of mobility. Adapting transport services to users’ needs, reducing sources of stress, encouraging active modes of transport and promoting intermodality are, according to the Institut Terram and the Alliance pour la santé mentale, all levers for transforming mobility that is suffered into mobility that is chosen.
This article was originally published in French.
