Understanding carpool use by hispanics in Texas

The Hispanic population in Texas has increased numerically faster than any other racial or ethnic group in the past 2 decades. If these trends continue, Texas is likely to become a Hispanic majority state by 2040. Despite this change in the ethnic composition of the state, few have researched the travel behaviors of Hispanics. Logistic regression models and the 2006 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample for Texas were used to explore carpooling on the journey to work among Hispanics and Hispanic immigrants in comparison with non-Hispanic whites. Influences of socioeconomic, occupational, and geographic characteristics on the propensity to carpool on the journey to work were disaggregated to test if differences in carpooling use between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites remain. Differences in carpool use based on immigrant status were investigated. It was found that differences in carpool use remain between Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites, even accounting for socioeconomic status, occupation, and location if immigrant status is not considered. However, in accounting for immigrant status, no differences were found in carpool use between native-born Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, while differences remain for Hispanic immigrants. Findings suggest that in the absence of improvements in the socioeconomic status of native-born Hispanics and with increased immigration, carpooling is likely to increase as a result of changes in ethnic composition.