Travelers’ Perceptions of Security for Long-Distance Travel: An Exploratory Italian Study

Terrorists around the world have recently targeted public transport systems, affecting in particular air and rail passengers. Terrorist attacks have long been acknowledged as having significant impacts on travel behavior. The paper analyzes (i) the impact security issues have on travel behavior and mode choice for long-distance travel and (ii) the travelers’ perception for government's efforts to ensure high security to citizens, providing segmentation analysis based on socioeconomic characteristics. The paper draws on an Italian case study carried out in Rome during May 2011. The results show that a nonnegligible portion of sample would be willing to give up traveling in response to an increase in the antiterrorism alert. Moreover, respondents perceived security risks related to transport modes in different ways, and their opinions are heterogeneous. Taking action against terrorist attacks is a priority for respondents who consider insufficient government's efforts to ensure high security to citizens. The results are of particular interest for policy-makers, responsible for ensuring travelers’ security.