Commute satisfaction and its relationship to post-secondary students’ campus participation and success

Abstract This paper examines the association between university and college students’ commute satisfaction, and their perception of commute being a barrier to campus participation and academic success. The correlates of commute satisfaction were also explored using data collected at ten post-secondary institutions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Canada. The majority (61%) of students reported their commute was a barrier to their campus participation and 30% perceived their commute as a barrier to academic success. Binomial logistic regressions revealed positive association between commute satisfaction and perceived barrier to campus attendance, participation in on-campus extra-and co-curricular activities, course selection and academic success. Commute mode, commute duration, travel attitudes, and campus type were statistically associated with levels of commute satisfaction. Mode-specific effects varied by commute time. Post-secondary administrators and transportation planners can potentially improve student well-being by implementing policies that enable active transportation and affordable housing, and improve public transit services.