Dataset of 132 Citizenship Behavior Incidents in the Tehran Subway
Description
This dataset contains 132 refined instances of Citizenship Behavior (CB) observed and recorded by frequent subway users during routine travel in the Tehran Subway system. The dataset was developed to examine how everyday commuter interactions within shared transit environments may unintentionally contribute to experiences of inclusion or exclusion among riders. The underlying premise of the study is that, beyond formal accessibility measures and infrastructural design, social dynamics within transit interiors are shaped by routine micro-behaviors enacted by passengers. These behaviors—such as offering space, assisting with navigation, repositioning within crowded environments, or selectively engaging with others—may influence how access to comfort, safety, and recognition is distributed among riders. While many of these actions are prosocial in intent, their enactment may be conditional, situationally constrained, or directed toward specific individuals based on visible markers of vulnerability or social appropriateness. The CB incidents included in this dataset were collected through participant-kept travel diaries over a two-week period and subsequently translated from Persian into English. Each entry documents an observed or enacted instance of CB within the subway car interior. Through inductive thematic analysis, these incidents were coded and organized into focused behavioral categories and four higher-order themes that capture recurring patterns of selective assistance, cultural normativity, spatial organization, and institutionally reinforced behavioral expectations. The dataset may be used to explore how informal interactional practices shape access to shared transit space, how prosocial behaviors are distributed across rider groups, and how routine social coordination contributes to the organization of public environments. It can support further qualitative analysis of commuter behavior, inform comparative studies across transit systems, or serve as a reference for design and policy-oriented research on inclusive mobility and transport justice.
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Steps to reproduce
The dataset was generated through a qualitative field study conducted in the Tehran Subway system. Fourteen frequent subway users were recruited and instructed to maintain a structured, participant-kept travel diary over a two-week period. Participants were provided with a standardized trip log and a clear operational definition of Citizenship Behavior (CB), adapted from Organizational Citizenship Behavior (Organ et al., 2006), along with illustrative examples to guide consistent reporting. During their daily subway commutes, participants recorded instances of CB that they either performed themselves or attentively observed in others within the subway car interior. These observations were documented in Persian using the provided log format. Upon completion of the data collection period, the logs were compiled and screened to remove entries unrelated to CB or containing logistical notes (e.g., travel absence). The remaining 132 relevant CB incidents were translated into English for analysis and subjected to inductive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework. Initial open coding yielded 115 unique behavioral codes, which were iteratively grouped into focused coding categories and subsequently consolidated into higher-order themes through thematic synthesis. No specialized instruments, reagents, or automated software tools were used for data collection or coding. All coding and theme development were conducted manually by the research team.