We find that economic factors—employment status, household income, and the like—strongly
influence the travel behavior of both adults and youth, the latter of which has been harder hit
by our current, prolonged economic downturn. These economic effects help to explain the
growth in mobility, trip-making, and driving among both youth and adults during the 1990s,
and the subsequent contraction of mobility, trip-making, and driving during the 2000s. When it
comes to changes in youth (and adult) travel behavior in recent years, the adage “It’s the
economy, stupid” appears to hold.