To and fro the Bosporus: Rationalizing commuting in Istanbul before and after Covid-19

Arman, Gamze

Abstract

Aim and Objectives:
Commuting for work and spending hours in traffic are parts of the daily lives of millions of employees living in big cities, despite the shift towards hybrid work. This study examines the perceptions of intercontinental commuters in Istanbul (ICC) based on a qualitative analysis of their psychological mechanisms for rationalising their decisions to live and work in this city despite its considerable costs. ICCs constitute a globally unique group of commuters, as they commute across two continents almost daily for their work and suffer from very high commute times due to the physical and structural characteristics of the city. Therefore, the primary purpose was an exploration of the rationalisation of commuting by this unique group, building on Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957).

Method:
During the first phase, one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted between December 2018 and February 2019. The sample consisted of 40 ICCs, mainly from the creative (e.g., architecture, art, design) and finance (e.g., banking, insurance, consultancy) industries. For the follow-up study (after the pandemic outbreak), all respondents were approached, and 15 agreed to participate. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; 2021) was adopted as the data analysis strategy to clarify the mechanisms used to rationalise commuting in Istanbul.

Results and Conclusion:
Fundamental rationalisation mechanisms were defined as viewing commute (i) as a trade-off for living in Istanbul (romantic approach); (ii) as a trade-off for living or working on the ‘other’ side (fanatic/enthusiastic approach); and (iii) as an opportunity for effective utilisation of time (pragmatic approach). However, the outbreak of Covid-19 led to changes in those perceptions. Results highlight the importance of context in analysing the perception and rationalisation of commuting.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 18th European Congress of Psychology
• Start Date: Jul 3, 2023
• End Date: Jul 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 21, 2024
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11735010