When Push Comes To Pull: Place, Mobility, and Information Access for Vehicle Residents

Abstract

ABSTRACT This high‐exposure study explores the information seeking practices of a specific unstably housed, mobile population. Vehicle residents earn a wage but have chosen to move into their vehicles as a survival strategy during a time when housing expenses account for more than half of lower‐income Americans’ monthly income. Drawing from previous work that highlights the importance of place in information behavior, this study investigates the ways that places influence information seeking for a population whose information environment is ever‐changing. This study is informed by two sets of semi‐structured interviews with seven individuals, including information horizon interviews and guided tours, from November 2020‐June 2021. Key initial findings demonstrate that both place and mobility constrain and facilitate information seeking for participants. Overall, understanding the unique features and needs of this particular group results in a more thorough comprehension of their information seeking practices to better understand information and service provision, information inequality, and inequity.

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