What Type of Person Would Prefer Driverless Cars Over Commercial Flight?

Abstract

Prior research has investigated ground and air transportation industries independently; however, few people have considered the impact driverless cars will have on commercial aviation. This study created a regression equation to predict what type of individual would prefer driverless cars over commercial flights. Participants ( n = 2,016) provided demographic information, individual travel behavior, and preference for the two travel modes in two stages. Stage 1 created an equation through backward stepwise regression. In Stage 2, participants' scores were predicted using the Stage 1 equation compared to their actual scores to validate the Stage 1 equation through the four scenarios. Significant predictors from all scenarios were Upper Social Class, Vehicle Affect, Airplane Affect, and Vehicle Comfort. These factors accounted for nearly half the variance from the data. The equation was then tested in Stage 2 tested using a t -test, correlation, and comparison of cross-validated R 2 . The model fit was demonstrated to be strong in all scenarios. These predictors will aid in identifying possible early adopters of autonomous vehicles. Implications of the findings with suggestions for future research are discussed in detail in this study.