Tracking Public Interest in Sustainable Mobility with Google Trends

Gutierrez-Lythgoe, Antonio and Molina, Jose Alberto (2025): Tracking Public Interest in Sustainable Mobility with Google Trends.

Abstract

The transport sector remains one of the main contributors to global GHG emissions, making the shift toward more sustainable mobility a key component of climate-mitigation strategies. While previous research has emphasized the role of infrastructure, technology, and behavioral change, less is known about how public attention toward sustainable transport evolves and diffuses across countries. This paper uses Google Trends data as a high-frequency indicator of public interest in sustainable mobility for 38 OECD countries from 2004 to 2025. To ensure comparability across time and space, we propose the construction of log-ratios between sustainable mobility and conventional car-related searches so that the measure is robust to changes in Google’s user base. We apply the Phillips and Sul convergence framework to test whether attention levels follow common long-run trajectories. Results show strong convergence in electric-vehicle attention, while hybrid- and public-transport interest remain fragmented. Validation analyses confirm that Google Trends indicators correlate with subsequent electric-vehicle adoption, underscoring their value as dynamic proxies for cultural and behavioral dimensions of sustainable mobility.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: sustainable mobility, Google Trends, convergence behavior, digital behavior, transportation policy
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C5 - Econometric Modeling > C53 - Forecasting and Prediction Methods ; Simulation Methods; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R4 - Transportation Economics > R41 - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion ; Travel Time ; Safety and Accidents ; Transportation Noise

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