A model of daily time allocation to discretionary out-of-home activities and trips

This paper presents a model of discrete activity choice and continuous resource allocation which is based on the premise of random utility maximization and which can be conveniently estimated using existing statistical software packages. The model derivation involves virtually no approximations and adheres strictly to the utility maximization concept. The empirical analysis applies the model to the participation choice and resource (time) allocation to nonwork, out-of-home activities by workers. The statistical results show that activity choice and time allocation are governed by the same mechanism as the utilitarian assumptions indicate and support the theoretical framework employed in the model development.