MODELING OUT-OF-HOME RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY DURATION USING HAZARD-BASED DURATION MODELS WITH LATENT HETEROGENEITY

This paper presents econometric models of recreational activity duration that individuals pursue throughout the week. It examines both semi-parametric and parametric hazard-based duration model with different assumptions on the baseline distributions. It also tests latent heterogeneity into the model in terms of frailty. Among all the models Weibull parametric model with Gamma heterogeneity performs better. The study uses a dataset of 941 individuals from General Social Survey 1998. It reveals that work duration, in-home activity duration, sequence of recreational activity, home ownership, companionship with children, work end time etc. have significant impact on the duration of daily out-of-home recreational activity. This research would have implications on advancement of activitybased travel modeling and help in making informed decisions. 1