What shapes our views of self-driving vehicles

Human error accounts for most road traffic accidents. Using autonomous vehicles (AVs) can potentially eliminate the risk of such error as they rely on machine intelligence instead of human drivers. This could reduce the number of road accidents, alleviate traffic congestion and improve overall traffic efficiency.

However, public support is crucial for the implementation of self-driving vehicles. 

Given my expertise in science communication and public opinion towards emerging technologies, my research team and I conducted studies to investigate the social-psychological factors that shape public willingness to use AV technology.

DISCOVERING WHAT MAKES ONE WILLING TO USE AVS

To find out what motivates a person’s willingness to use AVs in Singapore, we conducted an online survey with about 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents in 2018. Based on the statements presented in the survey, respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement on a scale of one to five, from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Our survey showed that, on average, people were somewhat inclined to use AVs but this willingness was not strong. This middling response suggested that even if AVs were implemented in Singapore, they would unlikely be widely used.

We also examined people’s perceptions of the risks and benefits of AVs, which could influence their disposition to using AVs. Again, based on the statements presented in the survey, respondents were told to pick along a scale of one to five, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Respondents believed that the risks associated with using AVs outweighed the benefits (see graph).

Figure 1: How people view the risks and benefits of using driverless vehicles. About 1,000 people in Singapore were polled on their perceptions, which were measured from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Another interesting finding was that people’s general scientific knowledge and literacy did not significantly affect their inclination to use AVs. Instead, they relied on factors such as their emotions to drive their decisions on complex issues like the use of AVs. This in turn affected their willingness to use AVs. Other factors, like people’s deference to the views of scientists and attention to media, also had an effect.

TESTING DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION MESSAGES

Understanding the factors that make AV messages more persuasive can help improve public opinion on the vehicles’ roll-out. So, we conducted an online experiment using different AV blog posts.

Messages such as blog posts often utilise “framing” – the way a subject or an issue is presented. This can either be favourable or unfavourable. When a message has more than one frame, these frames can complement or contradict one another.

We found that complementary frames resulted in stronger attitudes and support towards AVs, and contradictory frames resulted in more neutral views. Messages focusing on safety also had a stronger effect than messages focusing on the economy.