Anti-coronas and germophobic neurotics: Rationalising not using public transport during the pandemic

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Abstract

The paper adds to the growing literature that considers how COVID-19 has impacted on public transport. It reports on a focus group study in Denmark with both users and non-users of public transport during the pandemic. Focus group participants were asked to talk about and explain their everyday transport mode choices, based on the assumption that “fear of transmission” would have come to represent yet another readymade rationalisation resource for people to use to justify if they do not want to use public transport. However, the participants consistently resist to rationalise their mode choice-decisions with reference to “fear of contagion”. Combining studies of governmentality and ethnomethodology, the paper proposes that this observation can be understood as a pre-emption of the relevance of risk of contagion for travel decisions and, thus, as a negotiation of an inappropriate attempt at conducting conduct. The paper offers a detailed analysis of how this unfolds in the focus group interaction, and it concludes suggesting its findings indicate a little explored domain: It appears as if passengers cannot admit to “fear of contagion” without risking appearing incapable of governing his- or herself in line with dominating economic and rational choice ethics of advanced liberalism.
Original languageEnglish
JournalMobilities
ISSN1745-0101
Publication statusSubmitted - 2023

Keywords

  • public transport
  • pandemic
  • fear of contagion
  • studies of governmentality
  • ethnomethodology
  • rationalisation resources

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