SURVEY: Most Hawai‘i Residents are Open to More Multimodal Transportation in the Future, But Speed Bumps Lie Ahead

Why We Invested

To examine how Hawaii residents view clean transportation options and parking fees in the context of sustainability, affordability, and accessibility

Ulupono Initiative has announced the results of three surveys that examined how Hawai‘i residents view clean transportation options and parking fees in the context of sustainability, affordability, and accessibility.

Titled “Most Hawai‘i Residents are Open to More Multimodal Transportation in the Future, But Speed Bumps Lie Ahead,” the white paper examined two areas that Ulupono has studied over the past five years:

• Multimodal travel options — Defined as cleaner, more sustainable ways for a person to travel from one place to another. Examples used in the survey included activities such as walking, biking, carpooling, or catching the bus.
• Parking fees — Defined as a fee people pay to park their vehicle at various locations.

Ulupono commissioned Anthology Research to conduct the online omnibus surveys in July 2021, July 2022, and August 2023. Each year’s survey consisted of two questions touching on multimodal transportation and one on parking fees, and reached approximately 500 participants each year for a total of about 1,500 research participants.

Results indicated that openness among Hawai‘i residents to accepting clean transportation choices and parking fees with benefits is substantial and prominent. Despite varying availability of clean transportation choices on all islands, similarities between O‘ahu and neighbor island resident sentiments on these topics reveal a common openness to the concepts. This suggests that these sentiments are not conditional on existing infrastructure but rather, the desire for a future that has sustainable and communal advantages.

Read the white paper >>