Different Types of Children's Independent Mobility in French Brittany

Studies conducted in various countries point out that children's independent mobility has been decreasing over the last decades. This survey was conducted in French Brittany on five sites of varying city size and density. Children mobility is examined through six licences related to outdoor independent movements reported by children aged from 7 to 15 years. From children's declarations, it emerges that there is a clear evolution of independent mobility from primary to secondary school. A cluster analysis permitted to isolate five contrasted types of independent mobility defined by various combinations of licences ranging from a quasi-total dependent mobility to the largest independent mobility. Age is the principal factor significantly associated with each of the five clusters, whereas gender is only associated to one cluster. The type of area and the children's perception of safety in their local area also seem to account for the nature and degree of independent mobility. Overall, these results support the view that a complex array of factors intervenes in the development of children independent mobility, including environmental attributes of the living context such as city size, density and outdoor urban facilities.