An analysis of change in beliefs of car use and possession due to obtaining a driver's license

Abstract

Why is there a social fact that most people evaluate car use and car life so positively in modem Japanese society? For answering this question. we hypothesized that obtaining a driver's license changes belief on car in a positive direction, based on the theory of cognitive dissonance and a process model of car use habit development. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed panel data of participants' belief on car use before and after obtaining driver's license (number of sample=157). The data indicated that behaiior of obtaining a driver's license changed belief on car use in a positive direction.