Challenges of international travel survey data collection: an investigation of driver diversion behavior

Data collection by means of a stated preference travel survey presents a unique set of challenges even when limited to one location. International data collection presents even more complex issues for researchers to resolve. This study presents the methods by which a stated preference survey investigating driver diversion behavior was administered in thirteen countries around the world for compilation and comparison. The research sought to collect the same data from a wide variety of countries, to collect a sample representative of the populations from which they were drawn, and to ensure that data is of high quality from survey design to data cleaning and analysis. The investigation illuminated several challenges during data collection such as differences in survey versions, linguistic and cultural barriers, and data removal criteria during cleaning. A variety of methods may be employed to resolve these problems, including the techniques employed by our research team, but the process used can be chosen at the researchers’ discretion considering what is most appropriate for the topic under investigation. Despite its limitations, the avenues for future research available to such a dataset are many, including building on previous international studies of mobility behavior, uncertainty, risk avoidance, and employee behavior, as well as comparisons of data collection methods and differences in geography, climate, culture, government type, urban form, and more.