D3.2 360°Acceptance Map
The PAsCAL project, funded under the "Horizon 2020" Research and Innovation program, has the goal to provide insights and develop a better understanding about citizens’ and stakeholders’ expectations for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), and the acceptance of CAVs.
The following document, D3.2, aims to introduce the user-centered research conducted in the context of WP3, which is the Work Package in charge of studying attitudes of citizens towards Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) and assess which consequences are expected from CAV introduction into different traffic scenarios. The results of this research are presented in this 360° Acceptance Map. It delivers a multidimensional analysis indicating who accepts what types of CAVs, detailing also where and why.
The data introduced in the survey results sections below are based on data collection conducted using the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Acceptance Assessment Tool (CAVA) developed in WP3 over the course of the PAsCAL project, which is also presented in-depth in D3.3, the companion deliverable to D3.2. The aim of the CAVA is to measure CAV acceptance via evaluation of expected CAV consequences. First results from descriptive insights of the data collected indicate that there are variations on almost all levels of analysis, though the overall acceptance tends towards ambivalent neutrality. In terms of motivators, safety and ease of use seem the most important factors, though gains in independence and expectations with regards to sustainability should not be overlooked.
Across socio-demographic strata, age, gender and education levels play roles, with older individuals, and women more sceptical of CAV adoption, and university level educated individuals more willing to adopt CAVs. Across countries, participants from Eastern and Southern countries such as Hungary, Spain, Portugal and Italy seem to be more optimistic and willing to adopt CAVs than participants from Central European countries such as France, Austria and Germany. Furthermore, experience with public transport, car sharing and ride hailing seems to go together with higher acceptance, though currently, for a variety of reasons, a slight preference for personal, owned vehicles can be observed among participants. Introduction as part of shared mobility is seen as beneficial in terms of affordability and sustainability. Finally, more optimistic expectations are reported by participants with visual impairments, and a higher willingness to use CAVs.
Recommendations that can be gained from this research will allow insights into potential impacts of interventions as well as help data collection related to CAVs.