The formation of public attitudes toward and acceptance of automated driving technology

As the market for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving vehicles matures, public interest in this technology has increased. However, the risks and benefits associated with automated driving technology have resulted in varying public perceptions. This study aimed to determine the factors leading to the creation of attitude groups and their corresponding levels of automated driving technology acceptance. To this end, a survey questionnaire was conducted with 825 respondents in Shanghai, China’s leading city for automated driving technology. The data were analyzed using cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression. The findings showed that (1) in terms of attitudes toward automated driving technology, the following groups exist: positive (21.21%), negative (36.00%), and ambivalent (42.79%). (2) Ambivalent attitudes mainly result from higher levels of consideration of future consequences and lower self-efficacy levels. (3) While those in the negative group were hesitant to embrace any kind of automated driving technology, those in the ambivalent group were mainly reluctant to embrace Level 4 automated driving technology. (4) In terms of social trust, trust in the government improved acceptance of automated driving technology among the positive and negative groups, while trust in automated driving technology companies raised the acceptance levels of the ambivalent group. The study explores how the public weighs the risks and benefits of automated driving technology, identifies various attitudes toward it, and provides practical advice for communicating the risks of Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving technology.