Time Styles and the Waiting Experience

Abstract

In this exploratory research, the authors try to relate the actual duration of waiting and consumers’“time styles” to the way they experience waiting, especially in terms of passive and active impatience. These variables are linked to waiting acceptability and to satisfaction with the service. The resulting model has been tested with a structural equations method based on public transportation data. Significant relationships have appeared, especially a direct link between actual waiting time and waiting acceptability, whereas time styles (mostly economic time orientation) influence perceived time pressure and active impatience but not waiting acceptability.