Exploring Spatial Behavior via Social Network Analysis: a Survey-based Approach

This paper investigates the spatial and social dimensions of everyday mobility using a survey-based social network analysis approach. Between November and December 2024, 1,377 residents of a small German town were surveyed about their local activities and their reasons for traveling beyond their municipality. Through activity-specific name generators, respondents listed individuals and places they interact with across five domains: shopping, errands, private visits, leisure activities, and volunteering. This method yielded over 17,000 reported relationships. The paper introduces the name generator design and outlines the categorization used for analysis. Findings show that respondents maintain a high number of relationships within their municipality, particularly in the domains of shopping, errands, and associations, where both active and motorized transport are commonly used. In contrast, relationships related to private visits and other leisure activities are more frequently located outside the municipality, with motorized transport being the predominant mode of travel. These results highlight the interplay between social belonging and mobility patterns, offering insights into the spatial behavior of everyday interactions.