Habituating young generations to using green modes is critical. However, we do not know what enables or deters e-bike use among teenagers in developing countries. This study, set in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, seeks to answer two research questions: (1) how much do teenagers use e-bikes and why, and (2) how much do parents support further e-bike use among teenagers? The study relies on a survey of 832 parents of older teenagers (about half of whom use e-bikes). Exploratory factor analysis is applied to derive latent psychological variables before binary and ordinal logit regression models are estimated to explore the factors that affect teenagers’ actual use of e-bikes and their parents’ support for e-bike use. We find that the prevalence of e-bike use is 52%. Teenagers are more likely to use e-bikes, and be supported in this choice, when their parents believe that e-bikes are useful and safe. Parents care a great deal about their children’s preferences around travel modes. A positive attitude towards e-bikes and an encouraging social circle lead to more e-bike use among teenagers and more parental support for e-bike use. Environmental awareness only predicts parental support for e-bikes use while perceived ease of use is positively associated with actual use by teens. Older teenagers are less likely to use e-bikes. Our findings can assist government agencies in adopting appropriate policies to sustain the use of e-bikes among teenagers. More research is needed to validate the findings of this study in other settings. Future studies should employ longitudinal data from representative samples of teens and/or parents.

To cite:

Minh Hieu Nguyen, Dorina Pojani, Duy Q. Nguyen-Phuoc, Thanh Chuong Nguyen, Thanh Tung Ha, Do parents support e-bike use among teenagers, and why? Evidence from Vietnam, Journal of Transport & Health, Volume 38, 2024, 101861, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2024.101861.