A comparative study of social interaction frequencies among social network members in five countries

Social interaction patterns are relevant to explain (social) travel behavior. As such, the objective of this paper is to comparatively study the factors that influence social interaction frequency among social network members with different communication modes. Based on data from seven surveys on social networks, this analysis seeks to shed some light on (i) the similarities and differences in social interaction frequency patterns, (ii) the relation of personal and network characteristics with observed patterns, and (iii) the extent to which these associations are consistent across contexts, in terms of effect direction and magnitude.