Guidance

National Travel Survey information for participants

Published 28 August 2024

Applies to England

What is the National Travel Survey?

The National Travel Survey is a study of the personal travel habits of the population in England, covering people of all ages. It has been running for almost 60 years and provides official information on how, why, when and where people travel, as well as factors affecting travel, for example, car availability and driving licence holding. We are interested in all kinds of travel, whether it’s a walk to the local shop, a regular commute to work, or a long-distance train trip.

Why is this study important?

By taking part in this study, you will help the Department for Transport produce reliable statistics on how people travel and how this changes over time. The statistics are used across central and local government to understand travel and help develop plans and policies to improve and invest in transport. These uses range from understanding where people park their cars to help plan for electric vehicle charging to setting and monitoring targets to increase walking and cycling.

Why should I take part?

Whatever your circumstances, they are relevant to this study, even if you rarely travel or don’t go far. It’s equally important for us to learn about people who use transport every day, and any problems or barriers faced by people who may not go anywhere on a typical day. Obtaining information from as many selected households as possible is the only way we can get a complete and accurate picture of the nation’s travel patterns. By taking part, you ensure that your experiences and circumstances become an important part of the bigger picture of life in the UK today and help to shape policies that affect everyone in the UK.

What is involved?

Your household will receive a letter through the post inviting you to take part in the National Travel Survey. This letter will include the official logo of the Department for Transport plus that of the National Centre for Social Research, our survey delivery partner.

If you agree to take part, one of our interviewers will arrange a suitable time to conduct the face-to-face interview, which will involve collecting data from and about all household members. The interview will ask questions on a range of topics, such as age, employment status, education and how often you use various types of transport.  Following the interview, you will be asked to complete a travel diary, telling us about each trip you make outside your home over the course of a week.

How will the information be used?

The information you give will be processed by our survey partner and then, once your personally identifying information is removed, the data will be sent to the Department for Transport to produce our National Travel Survey statistics. These are widely used in the development and monitoring of transport policies, and to help understand who is using various types of transport and why. This information also helps our analysts understand what demand there might be for the various methods of transport such as cars, trains and buses in the future.

Who is carrying out the study?

The study is owned by the Department for Transport, and conducted by our survey partners, the National Centre for Social Research.

Do I have to take part?

Our work is very important and we need your help to make our study successful. Every year about 15,000 people help us by taking part in this study. No-one has to take part if they do not want to, but for us to paint an accurate picture of how people in England travel, it is vital that we interview as many people as possible, from all walks of life.

Is the study confidential?

Yes. UK legislation allows us to collect and process your data to produce statistics for the public good.

Personally identifying information such as your full name and address will not be passed to the Department for Transport, and will be destroyed after 2 years by the National Centre for Social Research.

The other information and answers to questions that you provide will be treated as confidential as directed by the Code of Practice for Statistics. It will only be held for as long as it is being used for producing statistics. The statistics produced will not identify you or anyone in your household.

The Department for Transport’s privacy statement provides more information on the study and our approach to data protection.

Why have I been selected?

A sample of households is selected at random from the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File. Once selected, a household cannot be replaced by another household as this would affect the representativeness of the sample. This means your participation is very important to the success of this official study in ensuring that all groups in the community are properly represented.

I have received a letter inviting me to participate in the National Travel Survey. How can I check if it is genuine?

The survey is delivered by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) on behalf of the Department for Transport. NatCen will be able to confirm whether your letter is genuine and that you have been selected to take part. Their freephone number is 0800 652 4568, or you can email info@natcen.ac.uk.

I have been contacted by someone claiming to be an interviewer for the National Travel Survey. How do I know if they are genuine?

You should receive a letter prior to being contacted by our interviewer, however we know that in a small number of cases, the letter may not arrive when expected. The interviewer should have an ID badge with their name, photograph and dates of validity plus NatCen contact details. NatCen will be able to confirm whether the person is a real interviewer and that you have been selected to take part. Their freephone number is 0800 652 4568, or you can email info@natcen.ac.uk.

Who can I contact for further information?

If you have any general queries about the National Travel Survey, you can email national.travelsurvey@dft.gov.uk for further details.

Our National Travel Survey webpage provides access to our latest statistics.