Exploring public actors’ beliefs about behavioural change for the mobility transition and their expectations for transdisciplinary collaborations

Abstract

Politics and public administration are key actors when it comes to the implementation of behaviour change policies for sustainable mobility. We explore their beliefs on the matter and their expectations for transdisciplinary cooperations with scientific actors.Policy measures are central to shaping individual mobility behaviour, and a coherent policy approach is essential to advance sustainable transport transitions. While research provides extensive insights into the malleability of mobility behaviour, little is known about what policymakers and administrators know about behaviour change. This study addresses the gap through qualitative interviews with 13 political and administrative actors in Berlin and Brandenburg, combining Sabatier's Advocacy Coalition Framework from 1988 and Michie and colleagues' Behaviour Change Wheel . We explore who public actors view as their allies for the transition, and their expectations for collaboration with scientific actors. Our findings indicate that public actors possess substantial knowledge of behavioural change measures, many of which align with the Behaviour Change Wheel . Yet, their beliefs about mobility behaviour change vary in sophistication, and systematic links between assumptions and interventions are lacking. Public actors tend to view civil society as a key ally. Understanding their specific expectations for cooperation with scientific actors strengthens transdisciplinary research processes.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 2026 · DOI ↗