美国人继续to eat fast food at an alarming rate, likely playing a role in the rise in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. As suggested by the words “fast” and “food,” time scarcity is one of the strongest predictors of fast-food consumption. Yet despite many studies showing a strong correlation between time scarcity and food choice, it is challenging to estimate the causal relationship—that is, how much time constraints cause people to eat fast food. With time scarcity also correlated with other personal circumstances that determine food choices, such as income, occupation, and family composition, inferring whether more valuable time leads to more fast-food visits is difficult.
We address this question bylinking detailed data from Los Angeles on the amount of time people spend in freeway traffic congestion (from highway traffic monitors) with foot-traffic data on visits to food stores (from smartphone GPS data). Using freeway congestion as a measure of time scarcity is advantageous for several reasons. First, traffic has a heavy influence on individual time constraints. Pre-pandemic, drivers were spending more time on the road than ever before, averaging nearly an hour per day, and numbers have climbed back to similar levels recently. Second, analyzing fluctuations in traffic congestion allows us to use plausibly random changes in traffic levels to isolate the effect of time lost on store choice. In short, our study observes which stores consumers visit in response to random local traffic shocks that eat up their time—which might lead them to change their eating habits.
On days when highways are more congested, people are more likely to visit fast-food restaurants and less likely to grocery shop. The effects are particularly pronounced for weekday afternoon rush hour traffic, suggesting that our effects are operating through time constraints at mealtimes. Additionally, traffic delays have no impact on past and future store visits, suggesting that people are not simply changing the day they eat out in response to (or in anticipation of future) traffic.
These results are concerning from a public health standpoint. Eating out—and fast food in particular—tends to be higher in fat, sodium, and energy density, and lower in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nutrients than food consumed at home. Prior research estimates an increased intake of 134 calories for meals eaten away from home relative to eating at home. Using this number together with our results, an increase in time spent in traffic from a day that is at the 16th percentile of slowness to one at the 84th percentile would lead drivers to gain an additional 0.2 lbs per year. To put this in perspective, this increased avoirdupois—body weight—is equivalent to 10% of what the average American adult gains in a year. The caloric implications of time lost from traffic congestion on eating habits is substantial.
Overall, our results suggest that policies aimed at loosening time constraints would help battle unhealthy eating habits. For example, improvements in infrastructure to mitigate traffic congestion, or expanding and speeding up public transport, could reduce fast-food dependency. Increasing work-from-home opportunities and reducing the number of days workers go into work could also have a significant impact.
© Panka Bencsik, Lester Lusher, and Rebecca L. C. Taylor
Panka Bencsik is Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University.
Lester Lusher is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Research Affiliate of IZA.
Rebecca L. C. Taylor is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Please note:
We recognize that IZA World of Labor articles may prompt discussion and possibly controversy. Opinion pieces, such as the one above, capture ideas and debates concisely, and anchor them with real-world examples. Opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of the IZA.
- Home
- Commentary
- Opinions
- Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of time lost on food store choice
Exposure to war and its labor market consequences
Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of time lost on food store choice
Working from home during Covid and women’s job satisfaction
Do international tourist arrivals change residents’ attitudes toward immigration?
The child penalty for graduates
ChatGPT and IZA World of Labor
Does providing social services reduce the risk of repeated domestic abuse?
The direct and indirect effects of online job search advice
Ranking the happiness of countries and states
Telework during the Covid-19 pandemic
Mergers and the labor market
“If you have your health, you have everything”? The true value of health
Labor market concentration and competition policy across the Atlantic
The gift of a lifetime: The hospital, modern medicine, and mortality
The impact of limiting the outsourcing of jobs
Air pollution and the labor market
Judging affirmative action
Working from home around the world
Job loss during Covid-19 in sub-Saharan Africa
Pass-through and consumer responses to alcohol tax increases
Does gender inequality in today’s labor market perpetuate gender inequality in future generations?
Paying for amenities at work
Can wage transparency alleviate gender sorting in the labor market?
Has the willingness to work fallen during the Covid pandemic?
The recent push toward unionization in the US
Religious diversity improves trust and performance
Effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on food prices and well-being
The four-day workweek
Immigration, employment, and innovation
Transgender people face significant economic challenges
The importance of extracurricular activities at school for future managers
School closures and effective in-person learning during Covid-19: When, where, and for whom
Cutting back on work during Covid: How was it done?
A persistent casualty of Covid-19: Children’s skill development
Digital payments surged during Covid-19 in the developing world. What are the opportunities for workers?
Labor markets in low-income countries: Challenges and opportunities
Who benefits when migrants return to developing countries?
如何do widespread shocks affect people’s desires to redistribute income?
Employer market power in Silicon Valley
Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries during the Covid-19 crisis
如何do labor market institutions affect job creation and productivity growth?
Can market mechanisms solve refugee crises?
Saving the planet and creating jobs
Masking, Covid-19, and social identity
Does health professionalism among bureaucrats help weather the Covid-19 pandemic?
Solving pension crises
Emigration and the wages of those who stay behind
The shadow economy and the Covid-19 pandemic crisis
如何to support the self-employed in developing countries
Substance use and academic performance
Pandemics and the prospects for higher education in developing countries
The challenges of regulating the labor market in developing countries
What economic value is there in speaking another language?: An interview with Gilles Grenier
Household production, what is it and how do we value it?: An interview with Leslie S. Stratton
Low pay jobs, do they “scar” future job prospects?: An interview with Claus Schnabel
Tutoring: An effective solution to help disadvantaged children
The challenging plight of widows
International trade restrictions and the impact on GDP: An interview with L. Alan Winters
Job search during a pandemic recession
What does the Covid-19 R&D response tell us about innovation?
Helping the poor to comply with social distancing
Lifestyle and mental health disruptions during Covid-19
Does Covid-19 make us more averse to inequality?
Covid-19’s impacts on the US labor market
The impact of Covid-19 on the life insurance market was minimal
Labor issues in the Biden administration
Exposure to epidemics and trust in scientists
Measuring the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic violence
Assessing the effect of online instruction on university students’ learning
Sexual harassment in the post-Covid-19 work environment
Covid-19 and fertility
Pandemic meets pollution: The role of air quality for Covid-19
如何to play it safe? The gender gap in aversion to Covid-19 exposure
如何was the US presidential election affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
The impact of a Covid-19 lockdown on happiness
The impact of Covid-19 restrictions on small businesses in the US
What are lockdowns good for?
Labor issues in the US election
Covid-19 and US attitudes toward government and markets
Forgotten numbers: Non-fatal Covid-19 infections in the US
Excess deaths in care homes during the pandemic
Human mobility during the pandemic: Policy or information?
Economic effects of Covid-19: The importance of credit constraints
All in this together?: Inequality during Covid-19
Cognitive performance in the home office—What professional chess can tell us
Covid-19 shutdowns and the self-employed
Racial and ethnic disparities in the face of the coronavirus
The power of social capital during a pandemic
Does policy communication during Covid-19 work?
Behavior during a pandemic
University educated workers and their ability to deal with Covid-19 and future shocks
Four mistaken theses about universal basic incomes
Elections and the Covid-19 pandemic
Covid-19 and giving to charity
Lockdowns and traffic accidents
Effects of Covid-19 on spending and saving
Labor markets in the Covid-19 pandemic: Western Europe and the US
体育能提供一个洞察未来的labor market?
Childcare during Covid-19
Can defined contribution pension plans reduce worker mobility?
Covid-19’s impact on the economy: Measuring GDP during a pandemic
So happy together?
Covid-19 and immigrant employment
Graduating during the Covid-19 recession
如何can governments mitigate the global decline in labor income share?
The Covid-19 crisis exacerbates workplace injustices
Can inflation be accurately measured during a lockdown?
Measuring employment and unemployment—Primer and predictions
What is happening to unemployment in the post-Covid-19 labor market?
The CARES Act—Massive government intervention in the economic crisis
What are the challenges in using language proficiency to predict the economic integration of immigrants?
200 billion hours to spend: The Covid-19 opportunity to upskill
Did California’s shelter-in-place order work? Early coronavirus-related public health effects
Labor markets during the Covid-19 crisis: A preliminary view
Trends in Covid-19 infection: What New York City neighborhoods tell us
Trading off lives for jobs
Mitigating the work–safety trade-off
The sudden growth of employee autonomy during the coronavirus lockdown
Economic implications of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Korea: A paragon of dealing with coronavirus
The coronavirus crisis and the next generation
Expectations about Covid-19 social-distancing measures in Italy and their impact on compliance
Coronavirus, telecommuting, and the labor market
The long-term consequences of missing a term of school
Health effects of the coronavirus recession
Pricing the lives saved by coronavirus policies
Pandemics and the labor market—Then and now
Fighting a coronavirus recession
Can financial education help workers save for retirement?
Coronavirus and the labor market
Is putting children in childcare good for them?
是公司的职业ductivity affected by accession to the EU?
Is a highly educated workforce good for less educated workers?
What works for women’s work in low- and middle-income countries?
如何much do children cost?
Do overtime hours and pay regulations promote wage and employment growth?
Should governments intervene in the assimilation of immigrants?
Self-checkout and Neo-Luddism
Is CEO pay economically justified?
Gender quotas for the board room?
Does studying abroad enhance employment opportunities?
如何will climate change affect what we do?
Can we use trade policy to achieve gender equality?
Low social mobility in Latin America may hinder economic growth
Ömer Tuğsal Doruk,Francesco Pastore, Hasan Bilgehan YavuzMaking teacher certification work for developing countries
New European Parliament and Commission for a more ambitious framework for social and employment policies
Labor market issues in India’s parliamentary elections 2019
When is the right time to start tracking students?
The economic consequences of secularization
Labor issues in the 2019 Australian election
Parental leave policies as good HR practices
Does government spending crowd out charitable behavior?
Why the sudden interest in employee ownership?
Douglas Kruse, Joseph BlasiWill punishing the unemployed cure unemployment?
Immigrant entrepreneurship: The evidence so far
Labor issues in the 2018 US election
A data tax for a digital economy
Working in family firms
Should genetics shape policy?
Minimum wages hurt young people
Workplace sickness absence
Should divorce be cheap and easy?
Income inequality and social origins
Integrating refugees into the labor market
Disability and labor market disadvantage
Self-inflicted wounds of closed borders
What do we know about female criminality and how to control it?
Should policymakers worry about a declining female labor force participation rate?
The importance of appropriate tools for evaluating labor market reforms: The case of Italy
Does an increase in imports improve the well-being of poorer individuals?
Why does poverty persist across the generations?
Are happy workers more productive?
Can universal preschool increase the labor supply of mothers?
Can jobs reduce recidivism?
Kevin SchnepelDoes increasing the minimum wage reduce poverty in developing countries?
Wage subsidies may not help to increase employment among older workers
Labor market issues in the German election
如何candidates’ looks affect their election chances
The impact of repealing “Obamacare” on children’s academic performance
Gender diversity in teams
The unhappiness of the US working class
在欧盟难民重新安置
Public versus private job placement services
Environmental regulations and business decisions
Labor market issues in the 2017 French presidential election
Immigration and native workers' health
Not bad at all—the true state of the US labor market
同工同酬立法和性别工资差距
Reducing unemployment is always on the government agenda
Do/can firms benefit from training apprentices?
如果2016 was the year of political earthquakes, then what might the rest of 2017 bring?
Designing social protection for women
Green energy and jobs
The union wage premium: Is it real?
Job insecurity is bad for our health
Political participation in a digital economy
Stephan Heblich, Robert GoldBrexit and the American election
Are smaller classes better?
What can be done to reduce workplace sexual harassment?
Internal hiring vs external recruitment?
Do employees profit from profit sharing?
如何much do we work?
Does performance-related pay improve productivity?
Impatience, schooling, and happiness
如何can knowledge and new ideas be turned into jobs?
Are home births safe for everyone?
Does having a child in your teens change your economic future?
Weighing more and earning less: The hidden individual costs of obesity
Brexit: Implications for UK labor
Brexit: An American politico-economic view
The return on investment on migration: What’s in it for business?
The Hague Process on Refugees and MigrationA rural-urban political divide: Is it caused by labor-market outcomes?
Incentives for prosocial activities—Do they work?
如何might self-driving cars change the lives of workers?
International Workers' Day, 2016
Can market mechanisms help solve the refugee crisis?
Commentary on high minimum wage proposals
The immigration jump: Are more immigrants good for the economy?
A note from the new Editor-in-Chief, Professor Daniel Hamermesh
Three reasons immigrants are valuable for the host country
Does corruption promote emigration?
Not everything that counts is measured: the UK debate on job security
Sam Ashworth-HayesSmart policy toward high-skill emigration: An interview with Michael Clemens
What does the evidence tell us about sexual harassment in the workplace?
Does education prepare you for working life?
Do case workers really help the unemployed? An interview with Michael Rosholm
Explainer: why some European countries do more than others to help refugees
5 reasons why immigrants do not take natives' jobs
6 key points on European youth unemployment
Let the children play
What if there were no national borders?
It pays to be beautiful: Investments in appearance lead to success in the workplace
We can't blame the loss of mid-level jobs purely on robots
Andrea SalvatoriThe FutureWork Opinion Series - Colm Harmon
The FutureWork Opinion Series - Klaus F. Zimmermann
The FutureWork Opinion Series - David Robalino
The FutureWork Opinion Series - Alexander Kritikos
The FutureWork Opinion Series - Pierre Cahuc
The FutureWork Opinion Series - Olga Nottmeyer
My husband and I were equal partners—then we had a baby
Brigid SchulteReflections on International Workers’ Day
Is obesity the new smoking?
What David Cameron, Angela Merkel, and Barack Obama need to understand
Sexuality and the workplace: Coming out and losing out?
An effective plan to promote youth employment
4,萨缪尔•邦托马塞尔·詹森Should we raise the minimum wage?
Youth unemployment – evidence-based policy advice in Spain
Tackling youth unemployment
What to do on women's equality?
Does it pay to host mega sporting events?
Expert for 15 minutes?
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on health and the labor markets
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of sport
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of crime
IZA World of Labor discussion on higher education
IZA World of Labor discussion on the environment and the labor market
IZA World of Labor discussion on inflation and the labor market
IZA World of Labor panel on the macroeconomics of labor productivity
IZA World of Labor video on inequality and post transition in emerging economies
IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market evaluation
IZA World of Labor discussion on the economics of education
IZA World of Labor discussion on labor market institutions
IZA World of Labor discussion on measuring poverty with Bruce D. Meyer
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on environment and health
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on gender and family issues
IZA World of Labor panel discussion on migration issues
Panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 and today's labor market in Europe and the U.S.
IZA World of Labor Panel discussion on inequality, unemployment, wage setting and inflation
IZA World of Labor Panel Discussion on Women in Leadership
Nina Smith on the gender pay gap: An interview with with Daniel S. Hamermesh
Interview with Antti Kauhanen on gender differences in corporate hierarchies
Gender discrimination and sexual harassment: A discussion with Joni Hersch
Panel discussion on air pollution and human development
The gender pay gap: Solomon W. Polachek in conversation with Daniel S. Hamermesh
Panel discussion on labor-force participation issues: Hie Joo Ahn, John Coglianese & Jason Faberman
Discrimination and anti-discrimination policies: Harry Holzer in discussion with Daniel S Hamermesh
Indigenous peoples, inequality and immigration: Randy Akee in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Racial wage differentials in developed countries: Simonetta Longhi in discussion with Dan Hamermesh
奴隶制,种族不平等和教育:格拉茨Bertocchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Inequality and informality in transition and emerging countries: Roberto Dell'Anno and Dan Hamermesh
Automation and the future of jobs: Stijn Broecke in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Income inequality and social origins: Lorenzo Cappellari in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
Measuring income inequality: Ija Trapeznikova in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in South Africa: Haroon Bhorat in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Chile: Diana Kruger in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Japan: Daiji Kawaguchi in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Ireland: Alan Barrett in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Spain: Juan Dolado in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Canada: Phil Oreopoulos in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Sweden: Helena Holmlund in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
The impact of Covid-19 in Germany: Andreas Peichl in conversation with Daniel S Hamermesh
IZA World of Labor explains inequality
Daniel Hamermesh - Labor costs
Pierre Cahuc - Short-term work compensation
Astrid Kunze - Why do women fall behind men
Susan Houseman - Controversy behind the recent growth of agency work
Susan Houseman - Temporary work employment
Libertad Gonzalez - What areas does divorce legislation affect?
Libertad Gonzalez - Social impact of divorce legislation
Libertad Gonzalez - Why should policymakers be concerned about divorce laws?
Gary Fields - Self-employed poor people in developing economies
John S. Earle - Does privatization lead to job losses and wage cuts?
Bart Cockx - Belgium labor market
Astrid Kunze - Norway labor market
Pierre Cahuc - French labor market
Alex Bryson - UK labor market
Daniel S. Hamermesh - U.S. labor market
Arnaud Chevalier - What are the benefits of attracting foreign students
Brian Cadena - The Marshmallow test
Brian Cadena - Mitigating the negative implications of impatience
Women at Work Around the World
The labor market in Italy, 2000–2016
Five common fears about immigration
IZA Chief Executive Officer Hilmar Schneider on IZA World of Labor
The labor market in Germany, 2000–2016
Ulf Rinne discusses Germany's labor market
The labor market in the US, 2000–2016
Do firms benefit from apprenticeship investment?
Effects of entering adulthood during a recession
Is the return to education the same for everyone
Entdecken Sie unsere neuen Online-Features
Der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt
Integrating refugees into labor markets
Five ways to improve workplace diversity
如何the site works
Gender differences in wages and leadership
Do migrants take the jobs of native workers?
The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 6/6
The economic consequences of Brexit – what the experts say 5/6
The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 4/6
The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 3/6
The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say 2/6
The economic consequences of Brexit - Introduction 1/6
The economic consequences of Brexit - what the experts say (complete video)
Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment
Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 2/4
Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 4/4
Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 3/4
Dawn or Doom: The effects of Brexit on immigration, wages, and employment 1/4
3 minutes with Daniel Hamermesh, new Editor-in-Chief of IZA World of Labor
The big trade-off in the World of Labor
David Neumark discusses the employment effects of minimum wages
Does aid work? Panel event with IZA World of Labor and LSE Enterprise
Peter J. Kuhn discusses internet-based job matchmaking
Kathryn Shaw discusses the value of bosses and employee performance
David Robalino talks about labor markets in low income countries
Pierre Cahuc discusses youth unemployment in Europe
Peter J. Kuhn analyzes brain drains and gains
Martin Kahanec on Roma integration in Europe
Fixed-term contracts: dead end or stepping stone?
What determines the gender wage gap?
Do firms benefit from providing apprenticeship training?
如何can IZA World of Labor help you?
The merits of anonymous job applications
Minimum wages, austerity and debt
The importance of labor supply and the role of public policy
June 14, 2023