Authors: Maria Vega, Annalee Craigmile. Mentor: Professor Jennifer Hughes
Absract: “We examined the effects of age, commute length in minutes and months, and gender in relation to stress levels. Five-hundred and twenty seven participants, ranging in age from 18-66 years, were recruited by student research assistants for this study. The participants took an online survey assessing demographics, commute, employment, and school information. We found that commuters with longer commutes are significantly more stressed than commuters with shorter commutes to work or school. We also found that females were significantly more stressed than males during their commute. These results illustrate that commuters should find ways to make their commutes shorter by possibly moving closer to their job or finding a job closer to their home. Other options would include finding shorter routes and leaving before or after traffic has decreased. If the commuters do not encounter as much traffic congestion, their commute will be shorter reducing the likelihood of stress.”