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

Keywords: autonomous vehicles, public acceptance and adoption, repeated cross-sectional data, change over time, and partial proportional odds model
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 16

Abstract

A growing number of research attempts has been made to enhance our 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, we 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. We 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.