Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Special Report

U.S. Department of Transportation

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

July 2008

SR-009

Opinions on Cell Phone Use on Airplanes, Congestion, and 

Telecommuting—from the 2006 and 2007 Omnibus Household Survey

by June Jones

Table 1. Opinions on Allowing Cell Phone Use on Aircraft if No Safety Issues 

 Exist, 2006 v. 2007 (percent holding opinions)

Overall 18-34 years 35-64 years 65+ years

2006 Omnibus Household Survey n=1,063 n=174 n=611 n=245

Defi nitely should allow 21.9 27.8 20.6 12.7

Probably should allow 16.5 17.8 16.9 14.5

Not sure 15.3 16.6 15.6 12.9

Probably should not allow 16.1 15.8 15.9 18.0

Defi nitely should not allow 30.3 22.0 31.0 41.9

2007 Omnibus Household Survey n=979 n=150 n=552 n=249

Defi nitely should allow 21.2 23.3 22.6 14.9

Probably should allow 18.5 24.4 17.7 11.7

Not sure 15.1 16.1 14.1 16.7

Probably should not allow 16.7 20.3 16.0 12.9

Defi nitely should not allow 28.5 15.8 29.6 43.8

NOTE: Confi dence intervals (CIs) for overall fi gures are about ± 3.3% in 2006 and ±3.1% in 2007. CIs for subgroups are larger.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

The annual Omnibus Household Survey (OHS), administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics (BTS), asks respondents about 

their weekly travel habits, journey to work, opinions about 

the transportation system, and other related issues. Presented here are a few of the key fi ndings from the November 2006 and 2007 surveys:

• although nearly half of the 18- to 34-year-old survey 

respondents would allow in-fl ight cell phone use if 

deemed safe, less than 30% of respondents age 65 

or older shared that opinion,

• about 2 out of 5 U.S. workers who reported their commute as moderately to very congested also reported 

that congestion had gotten worse over the 12 months 

preceding the survey,

• less than 3 of 10 workers who feel they could telecommute actually do,

• the majority of workers use their personal vehicle to 

commute alone to work, 

• about 2 out of 5 public transit passengers used transit 

at least 5 days a week, and

• over 90 percent of airline passengers were satisfi ed 

with the amount of time taken to get through security 

check points.

FINDINGS: Cell Phones in Flight

All survey respondents, whether they had fl own or not, 

were asked whether they thought passengers should be 

allowed to use cell phones on board fl ights if there were 

no issues with the phones interfering with aircraft communications systems. On this question there was clearly not 

a consensus. While about 4 out of 10 U.S. residents (38.4 

percent in 2006 and 39.7 percent in 2007) said that passengers should defi nitely or probably be allowed to use the 

phones, slightly less than half (46.4 percent in 2006 and 

45.2 percent in 2007) said that they defi nitely or probably 

should not be used. The remaining 15 percent from each 

survey said that they weren’t sure.

Those U.S. residents 65 years old or older were much less 

likely to support use of cell phones on aircraft than were 

younger respondents, and were most likely to say that cell 

phones defi nitely should not be used on board an aircraft.
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Table 4. MSA v. non-MSA Congestion Ratings, 2006 and 2007

 (percent)

2006 MSA 2007 MSA 2006 Non-MSA 2007 Non-MSA

Omnibus Household Survey n=528 n=454 n=155 n=151

Week prior to interview,

not at all congested 27.1 29.0 51.9 66.1

KEY: CI = confi dence interval; MSA = metropolitan statistical area

NOTE: CIs for MSA fi gures are ± 2.5% and for non-MSA fi gures are ± 4.8%.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

Table 2. Rating of Congestion While Commuting, 2006 and 2007

2006 

percent

95%

CI

2007 

percent

95%

Week prior to interview CI

Very to moderately congested 46.7 ± 4.5% n=683 40.4 ±4.5% n=605

Slight to no congestion 53.3 ± 4.5% n=683 59.6 ±4.5% n=605

Over the last 12 months

 Better 10.3 ± 2.9% n=680 8.8 ±2.7% n=607

 Stayed the same 62.4 ± 4.5% n=680 65.4 ±4.3% n=607

 Worse 27.3 ±3.9% n=680 25.8 ±3.9% n=607

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

Table 3. Opinions on Change in Traffi c Congestion, 2006 v. 2007

 (percent holding opinion)

Overall

Moderate to 

very congested

Little to no 

congestion

95% 

CI, overall

2006 Omnibus Household Survey n=683 n=295 n=381 n=683

Better over last 12 months 10.3 11.6 9.3 ± 2.9%

Stayed about the same 62.4 46.1 76.6 ± 4.5%

Worse over last 12 months 27.3 42.4 14.1 ± 3.9%

2007 Omnibus Household Survey n=607 n=244 n=359 n=607

Better over last 12 months 8.8 5.3 10.4 ± 2.9%

Stayed about the same 65.4 48.3 77.5 ± 4.5%

Worse over last 12 months 25.8 46.5 12.0 ± 3.9%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

NOTE: CIs for subgroups are larger than for the total group.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

FINDINGS: Congestion—Overall

The survey asked those who work or volunteer outside the 

home to describe congestion encountered on their commute to work the week prior to the survey interview. Less 

than half (46.7 percent in 2006 and 40.4 percent in 2007) 

reported that traffi c was very to moderately congested, 

while a little more than half (53.3 percent in 2006 and 59.6 

percent in 2007) reported traffi c as slightly congested or 

not at all congested.

Workers were also asked whether they think traffi c congestion has gotten better or worse on their commute to 

work during the 12 months prior to the survey. Overall, 

about 1 in 10 believed that congestion had gotten better, 

6 in 10 reported no change, and about 1 in 4 believed that 

congestion had gotten worse. 

Over half (57.7 percent in 2006 and 53.6 percent in 2007) 

of those workers who reported that their commute the 

week prior to the survey was moderately or very congested also reported that congestion had stayed the same or 

gotten better over the last year. Conversely, 42.4 percent 

in 2006 and 46.5 percent in 2007 of that group reported 

congestion had gotten worse.

For those workers who reported little or no congestion in 

the week prior to the survey, over 85 percent (both years) 

reported that their commute had stayed the same or gotten 

better over the last 12 months.

FINDINGS: Congestion—Metropolitan Area v.

non-Metropolitan Area

Approximately three out of four workers were from metropolitan areas.1

 Non-metro workers were almost twice as 

likely (51.9 percent in 2006 and 66.1 percent in 2007) as 

metro workers (27.1 and 29.0 percent) to report they had 

no congestion the week prior to the survey. 

Metro workers (29.1 percent in 2006 and 28.4 percent in 

2007) were signifi cantly more likely than non-metro workers (19.0 percent in 2006 and 16.9 percent in 2007) to 

report that their commute had gotten worse in the last 12 

months. 

1

 Based on Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) defi ned by the U.S. 

Bureau of the Census—in 2006, 528 of 683 workers (77.3%) and in 2007, 

454 of 605 workers (75.0%) were from MSAs.
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FINDINGS: Telecommuting

About one in four paid workers who work outside the home 

said that part of their work could be done at home. Of 

those who felt that part of their work could be done from 

home, about two out of three said that their employer allowed telecommuting sometimes. Of those whose employers allow work from home, 32.0 percent in 2006 and 44.1 

percent in 2007 actually worked at home at least once in 

the week prior to the survey interview. Overall, that means 

that less than 3 out of 10 workers2

 who felt they could do 

some of their work from home actually did during the week 

before the survey.

FINDINGS: Weekly Travel

Questions about typical weekly travel habits revealed a 

clear reliance on personal vehicles as the most frequently 

used mode of transportation.3 Respondents were asked to 

identify the modes of transportation that they used during 

2

 In 2006, 6.4 million workers worked at home the week prior to the 

survey out of 30.4 million who felt part of their job could be done from 

home (about 23%). In 2007, 8.2 million of 28.2 million worked from home 

(29%).

3

 Personal vehicles include automobiles, vans, SUVs, pickup trucks, RVs 

or motorcycles.

the week and the number of days that they used each. The 

overall average days of use for personal vehicles was just 

under 6 days for both survey years. Over 80 percent of 

those using a personal vehicle used it at least 5 days during the week. The overall average use of public transportation was less than one-half day per week. However, many 

of those using public transportation were regular users 

as about two out of fi ve of these used it at least 5 days a 

week.

FINDINGS: Journey to Work

About 58% of U.S. residents worked for pay outside the 

home and traveled to work, on average, about 5 days per 

week. Among those who said that they did not work for 

pay, about one in fi ve did some type of volunteer work 

away from home. Volunteer workers traveled to their place 

of volunteer work about half as often, an average of just 

over 2 days per week.

The predominant means for getting to work was driving 

alone whether working for pay (>85%) or volunteering 

(>68%). Among volunteer workers, about one in three 

(35.0% in 2006 and 34.3% in 2007) rode in a company or 

noncompany vehicle with others, compared to about one 

in fi ve for paid workers (18.8% and 22.6%).

Table 5. Opinions on Change in Traffi c Congestion by MSA and non-MSA Residents,

 2006 v. 2007 (percent holding opinion)

Overall MSA residents Non-MSA residents 95% CI, overall

2006 Omnibus Household Survey n=683 n=524 n=155 n=683

Better over last 12 months 10.3 11 7.3 ± 2.9%

Stayed about the same 62.4 59.9 73.7 ± 4.5%

Worse over last 12 months 27.3 29.1 19 ± 3.9%

2007 Omnibus Household Survey n=607 n=456 n=151 n=607

Better over last 12 months 8.8 9.8 5.2 ± 2.9%

Stayed about the same 65.4 61.8 77.9 ± 4.5%

Worse over last 12 months 25.8 28.4 16.9 ± 3.9%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval; MSA = metropolitan statistical area

NOTE: CIs for MSA fi gures are ± 2.5% and for non-MSA fi gures are ± 4.8%.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

Table 6. Telecommuting Activities, 2006 v. 2007

Percent 

“yes” 95% CI

2006 Omnibus Household Survey

Part of job can be done at home 23.8 ± 4.3% n=590

Sometimes allowed to work at home 64.9 ± 10.2% n=135

Actually worked at home last week 32.0 ± 11.0% n=93

2007 Omnibus Household Survey

Part of job can be done at home 21.8 ± 4.3% n=527

Sometimes allowed to work at home 65.6 ± 10.8% n=109

Actually worked at home last week 44.1 ± 13.3% n=74

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

NOTE: Questions were asked sequentially. Respondents who answered “no” 

were skipped out of subsequent questions.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 

Table 7. Frequency of Mode Use During a

 Typical Week, 2006 v. 2007

Mode used

Average 

days/

week

Among mode 

users percent 

using 5+ days 95% CI

2006 Omnibus Household Survey

Personal vehicle 5.7 days 84 ± 2.5% n=1,043

Public transit 0.4 days 41.8 ± 12.0% n=97

2007 Omnibus Household Survey

Personal vehicle 5.6 days 81.5 ± 2.5% n=1,016

Public transit 0.3 days 38.5 ± 11.8% n=100

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 
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Table 8. Frequency of Travel to Paid and Volunteer Work Sites, 2006 v. 2007

Work site Average days/week Percent working

95% CI for percent 

working

2006 Omnibus Household Survey

Paid work 4.7 days 57.9 ± 3.5% n=1,092

Volunteer work 2.4 days 19.5 ± 4.1% n=504

2007 Omnibus Household Survey

Paid work 4.8 days 57.7 ± 3.5% n=1,015

Volunteer work 2.1 days 16.6 ± 3.7% n=488

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 

2006 and 2007. 

Table 9. Types of Transportation to and from Work/Volunteer Sites, 2006

Type of Mode Used

Paid worker 

(%) 95% CI

Volunteer 

worker (%) 95% CI

2006 Omnibus Household Survey n=591 n=98

Non-company vehicle, alone 78.4 ± 4.1% 72.9 ±11.6%

Non-company with others 13.2 ± 3.3% 26.4 ±10.8%

Walk 9.3 ± 2.9% 22.8 ±10.6%

Company vehicle, alone 8.1 ± 2.5% 2.1 ±2.9%

Company vehicle w/others 5.6 ± 2.4% 8.6 ±7.8%

Bus 5.5 ± 2.4% 0.5 ±1.0%

Carpool/vanpool 4.5 ± 2.0% 7.0 ±7.1%

Subway 3.3 ± 1.8% 0.9 ±1.8%

Bike 3.1 ± 2.0% 8.2 ±7.4%

Train 2.7 ± 1.8% 0.8 ±1.6%

Other 1.6 ± 1.0% 1.6 ±3.1%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

NOTE: Total exceeds 100% as respondents could select more than one mode.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, 

November 2006 and 2007.

Table 10. Types of Transportation to and from Work/Volunteer Sites, 2007

Type of mode used

Paid worker 

(%) 95% CI 

Volunteer 

worker (%) 95% CI

2007 Omnibus Household Survey n=528 n=81

Non-company vehicle, alone 81.5 ± 4.1% 68.0 ±12.0%

Non-company with others 16.9 ± 4.1% 31.2 ±12.0%

Walk 7.6 ± 2.7% 19.7 ±9.8%

Company vehicle, alone 9.1 ± 3.1% 1.0 ±2.0%

Company vehicle w/others 5.7 ± 2.4% 3.1 ±4.3%

Bus 4.3 ± 2.0% 0.0 ±0.0%

Carpool/vanpool 3.8 ± 2.2% 5.4 ±6.3%

Subway 2.4 ± 1.8% 0.0 ±0.0%

Bike 2.2 ± 1.6% 4.1 ±5.1%

Train 3.2 ± 1.8% 0.0 ±0.0%

Other 2.7 ± 1.6% 1.0 ±2.0%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

NOTE: Total exceeds 100% as respondents could select more than one mode.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 2006 and 2007. 
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Table 11. Wait Time for Passenger Screening Compared to Expectations,

 2006 v. 2007

2006 percent

95% CI 

(n=410) 2007 percent

95% CI 

(n=377)

Much shorter 12.0 ± 3.7% 7.7 ±3.3%

Shorter 22.7 ± 4.7% 29.9 ±5.7%

As expected 49.7 ± 5.9% 48.9 ±5.9%

Longer 10.3 ± 3.5% 7.8 ±2.7%

Much longer 2.8 ± 1.8% 3.8 ±2.2%

No expectation 2.5 ±1.8% 2.0 ±2.0%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, 

November 2006 and 2007. 

Table 12. Confi dence in Screeners to Keep Air Travel Secure, 2006 v. 2007

2006 percent

95% CI 

(n=1,020) 2007 percent

95% CI 

(n=951)

Total confi dence 8.0 ± 2.2% 6.4 ± 1.8%

Great deal of confi dence 20.0 ± 3.1% 17.4 ± 2.9%

Moderate confi dence 46.1 ± 3.7% 44.6 ± 3.7%

Small amount of confi dence 17.6 ± 2.7% 24.7 ± 3.3%

No confi dence 8.3 ± 2.2% 6.9 ± 2.0%

KEY: CI = Confi dence interval.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Omnibus Household Surveys, November 

2006 and 2007. 

For related BTS data and publications: www.bts.gov

This report was prepared by June Taylor Jones, Survey Statistician 

with the Research and Innovative Technology Administration/Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics (RITA/BTS).

The fi ndings from the Omnibus Household Survey are based on data 

collected from a random digit dial sample of telephone interviews 

conducted with over 1,000 nationally representative households in 

November of 2006 and 2007. Estimates reported here are based on 

weighted data using U.S. Census Bureau population fi gures to account for selection probabilities at the household and individual level. 

All sample surveys may be subject to multiple sources of error including sampling error, coverage error, nonresponse error, and measurement error. Confi dence intervals (95%) are provided for all estimates 

included in this report.

For questions about this or other BTS reports, call 1-800-853-1351, 

email answers@bts.gov, or visit www.bts.gov.

Data — 

• Omnibus Household Survey Results—August 2000-October 

2003.

Reports — 

• OmniStats—November 2001-October 2003.

• Airline Passenger Opinions on Security Screening Procedures (data from the December 2004 survey)—June 2005

• Americans Voice Opinions on Congestion, Telecommuting, 

and Cellphones Aboard Airplanes (data from the October 2005 

survey)—March 2008

About this Report

FINDINGS: Air Travel and Security

About two out of fi ve U.S. residents (37.6 percent in 2006 

and 36.8 percent in 2007) fl ew on a commercial airline in 

the 12 months preceding the survey, and those who had 

fl own were asked for their opinions on air travel security.

Overall, it appears that travelers have become accustomed to airport security in the post-9/11 environment and 

they know what to expect. The majority of travelers (84.4 

percent and 86.5 percent) who had fl own in the 12 months 

preceding the survey said that the waiting time to get to 

the security screening checkpoint was what they expected 

or was shorter than expected. Over 90 percent said that 

they were satisfi ed or very satisfi ed with the time taken at 

security. 

About 1 out of 4 passengers had total confi dence or a 

great deal of confi dence in the ability of security screeners to keep air travel secure; about half had a moderate 

amount of confi dence, while less than 1 out of 10 reported 

no confi dence in security screeners.