Commuting to the workplace is a routine that millions of people do every day around the world. Those who do not choose to travel on foot usually do so in private vehicles, especially cars and motorcycles. However, more and more individuals are choosing more sustainable alternatives, such as bicycles or electric scooters, as well as public transport.
In Europe, the majority of workers use private transport to get to work. 66% of the 12,485 people surveyed by the multinational specialized in human resources and personnel selection PegeGroup confirm that they use a private vehicle to go to work. The study not only discovers what Europeans are like and how they cope with this displacement, but also reveals what means of transport they use, the way it affects their stress levels.
One of the questions that the study posed to the respondents was to know how much stress traveling by public transport and private transport caused them. The results are conclusive, since in general European citizens who travel by bus, metro, train or tram arrive to work more stressed than the rest.
In Spain, 40% of surveyed individuals who use public transport to go to work say that these means are stressful. This percentage is slightly above the European average, which is 38%, and places Spain in the high band, although far from Italy and Turkey. In these two countries we find a much higher stress rate, 68% and 57% respectively.
Crowds and technical issues related to schedules, connections and traffic congestion are the factors that cause stress, respondents say.
On the other hand, 30% of Spaniards find traveling in their own vehicle less stressful than public transport. This percentage is lower than the European average (34%), which again reveals that citizens of Italy and Turkey find going to work by private transport very stressful, at 49% and 46%, respectively.
Respondents from the Netherlands think that traveling by private transport is less stressful (19%), although it should be noted that 20% of the country's workers ride a bicycle. In Spain, for example, only 5% of the individuals surveyed go to work by bike.
According to the study's authors, data from the Netherlands suggests that cycling should be seriously considered as a means of transportation for some cities, as it ensures that employees are active, come to work less stressed and are more likely to be more productive. at work.
Eight out of ten employees consider that public transport in Spain is efficient. This percentage is five points above the European average (75%). The countries with the most efficient transport systems are Switzerland at 94%, Austria at 89% and Poland at 88%.
France (64%) and Italy (54%) are the most dissatisfied countries, although it is worth noting that Portugal (70%), Belgium (65%), the Netherlands (67%) and Turkey (64%) are below the European average.
39% of people surveyed take more than 45 minutes to get to work, slightly more than the EU average (42 minutes). Portugal (34 minutes) and Spain (36 minutes) are the countries in which it takes employees the least time to get to their workplace. In the case of Portuguese citizens, the report recalls that they are also the least stressed in Europe.
This trend contrasts greatly with Turkey where employees take an average of 48 minutes to get to work, the highest in Europe. A short distance away are France, Italy and Belgium, all three within 45 minutes.
According to the study carried out by PageGroup, 44% of Europeans arrive late for work. Despite this, 70% of those who are not punctual are calm. In general, professionals who travel by public transportation are late for work more than those who use their own vehicle. These same professionals consider public transportation inefficient and stressful and wake up less calm than average.
