José Coelho Rodrigues

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
Despite the wide spread of gamification as a means of influencing behavior, we do not yet fully understand its effectiveness in promoting sustainable behaviors among young people. This question becomes all the more relevant when it comes to influencing their mobility habits, considering the negative impact of motorized transportation on urban livability. As a consequence, the promotion of soft mobility has been on the policy agenda in many countries. In this study, we explore the potential of gamification and the use of rewards as a way to incentivize young citizens to adopt soft mobility over motorized transports. Our goal was to understand how a gamified app with a built-in reward system can influence the promotion of soft mobility among young people in cities, focusing particularly on walking and cycling. To achieve this, we adopted a quantitative research methodology, carrying out a structured survey in three schools enrolled in the Sharing Lisboa project. We used statistical tools based on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. We found that an app influences the users' perception of its usefulness, leading to a positive attitude towards its use. Contrary to what was initially assumed, the reward system only influences the perceived usefulness, suggesting that it is important to convince potential users to try the system but that it does not influence their attitude. Moreover, the instrumental attitude, which is related to the benefits and functions of an app, together with the subjective (injunctive/descriptive) norms and perceived behavioral control, have a positive influence on walking/cycling travel intention. Therefore, social pressure, especially from family and friends, is important for building the intention to travel by bicycle/on foot.