How public interest and concerns about autonomous vehicles change over time: A study of repeated cross-sectional travel survey data of the Puget Sound Region in the Northwest United States

A growing number of research attempts have been made to enhance knowledge about the characteristics of the potential early Autonomous Vehicle (AV) adopters. However, little is known about whether the public attitudes towards AVs change over time and how. With a multiyear cross-sectional travel survey data of the Puget Sound Region that encompasses the Seattle metropolitan area, the authors analyzed the fractions of population with various levels of interest and concerns regarding AVs. A two-part model combining a binary logit model and a partial proportional odds model was utilized to investigate the change of individuals’ positions on AVs over time, controlling for their socio-demographic characteristics, travel behavior characteristics, and built environment attributes. The authors find that the percentage of population unfamiliar with AVs has declined over the years, which is probably due to a greater exposure to the information about AVs. All other variables being equal, individuals’ interest in AVs has not changed over time while their concerns have increased across time. The findings suggest that information campaigns or educational programs that introduce the advantages of AV adoption with a focus on the safety aspects of AVs could potentially alter public attitudes, which could help achieve greater market penetration.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2021.103446
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X21004356
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0968090X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Jingyi Xiao and Konstadinos G. Goulias. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Xiao, Jingyi
  • Goulias, Konstadinos G
• Publication Date: 2021-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
  • Volume: 133
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0968-090X
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0968090X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceptance; Anxiety; Autonomous vehicles; Cross sectional studies; Public opinion; Travel surveys
• Geographic Terms: Puget Sound Region
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01789929
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 2021 4:26PM