2006 Utah Transportation Survey: Aging and Mobility
Research Report
By: Anita Stowell-Ritter, AARP Knowledge Management; | June 20, 2006
In collaboration with AARP Utah, the state Department of Transportation is examining transportation issues that will affect the quality of life of all Utahans as they age. Findings from this telephone survey of a random sample of Utah residents age 50 and older will be used to help define appropriate policies and strategies for aiding state residents in accessing transportation. The results are reported in three documents dealing with the mobility situations of:
- All age 50+ Utah residents
- Rural residents age 50+
- Utahans age 85 and older
Overall, age 50+ Utah residents are very mobile. Few use public transit or other transportation programs which they say cannot take them where they need and want to go and is time-consuming.
- Among age 85+ Utahans, 63 percent drive to their destinations while 40 percent cite ride sharing as their primary travel mode, but declining health may reduce both.
- Rural residents age 50+ are entirely dependent on automobiles because they have few other modes of transportation available to them, but say they are satisfied with their present ability to get to get about.
Telephone interviews with 1,210 age 50+ Utahans, including 206 with those age 85+ and 192 with residents of predominantly rural counties, were conducted for AARP by Dan Jones and Associates between February 25th and March 22nd, 2006. Further information about the survey may be obtained by contacting its author, Anita Stowell-Ritter of AARP Knowledge Management, at 202-434-6205.
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