Automated Vehicles Symposium 2019

Investigating Attitudes and Perceptions toward Emerging Vehicle Technologies and Mobility Options (Room Palms Ballroom - Booth 100)

16 Jul 19
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Today’s world is deeply influenced by the way new technology evolves. Rapidly emerging mobile apps have contributed to the quick expansion of car-sharing, ride-sourcing, and various other on-demand services around the world. Similarly, connected and autonomous vehicle technologies are expected to bring a paradigm shift in how we define mobility. On the other hand, the lack of understanding with respect to user acceptance and attitudes make it challenging to draw a clear picture of how shared mobility and connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) may affect our daily travel and the potential implications on the society as a whole. To address this challenge, this study presents a comprehensive analysis of user attitudes and perceptions toward emerging vehicle technologies and mobility options. A nationwide stated preference (SP) survey was designed and implemented. Four sets of questions were included in the questionnaire, each focused on one unique aspect of user attitudes, including preferences for mobility options (such as overall view of driving, factors in mode choice decisions), perceived benefits and concerns of shared mobility option, reasons toward or against private vehicle ownership, and motivations for and desired features of automated vehicles. Principal component analyses were conducted, and four sets of latent factors were identified that represented distinctive attitudinal patterns among the respondents. Correlations among the four aspects of attitudes were investigated, and the linkages between the attitudes and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics were examined. Users’ current mobility profile (mode use frequency, travel distance, mobility cost, etc.) were also explored to identify potential correlations with the attitudinal factors. This study provides useful and meaningful insights on user attitudes and perceptions toward emerging vehicle technologies and mobility options. It lays the foundation for further analysis on understanding user acceptance and adoption of these emerging vehicle technologies and mobility options, which is essential to estimate the likelihood and magnitude of behavior shifts in the era of automated, connected and shared mobility and incorporate these considerations into the planning and policy decision process.