The shift in automobile access between 19-19 is quite small when compared with the change between 19. However, it is important to put these changes in context. While there have also been substantial changes in household structure over this timeframe, accounting for such changes does not alter the overall conclusions about changing vehicle access presented in Figures 1 and 2. There are many underlying causes for these shifts, but increased suburbanization and migration to Sun Belt cities-which tend to be more automobile-oriented-likely contribute. Today, more children grow up in houses with a car than in 1980, and more middle-aged and older adults now have automobile access (Figure 2). There have been a number of other substantial changes in car access since 1980. Adults in this age range are broadly referred to as millennials, and much has been made about how differences in their behaviors are disrupting consumption patterns and economic activity. For example, fewer young adults have driver’s licenses than in the past, and young adults are driving fewer miles than they did in the 1990s. This mild decline in young adults’ automobile access shows up in related measures. In the most recent period, vehicle access is as much as 1 percentage point lower than in 1980 for those aged 25 to 38. Figure 1 shows the share of people by age that had access to a vehicle in their household in 1960, 1980, and 2015-19. have access to a car in their household than they did in 1980. Automobile access has mildly declined for young adults More transformational shifts in policy will likely be required for such generational change in automobile ownership to take root. But despite these improvements, it is probably a mistake to interpret the shifting behaviors of young adults as manifesting a preference for better urban policy. Policies that prioritize pedestrians and transit users-such as congestion charging, reducing or removing minimum parking requirements, and building more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure-have notable benefits. Neither better urban policy nor generational change is likely responsible for these changes-at least not yet. However, research indicates that it is changes in the circumstances of young adults that explains most of these trends.
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