Understanding the Changes in Public Perception toward Autonomous Vehicles over Time

Realistic and accurate evaluations of the potential influences of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on transportation systems are based on an adequate understanding of the market penetration and customers’ preferences for various AV technologies and services. Although research efforts have been made to enhance public knowledge about what population segments could be early AV passengers, few attempts have been made to examine the change in public attitudes toward AVs over time. Previously, surveys were the primary approach to measure public acceptance, preferences, and contributing factors. However, both the measures of approval and their corresponding explanatory variables vary substantially across research articles. This paper explores the changes in public perceptions toward AV technologies over time. A synthesis of previously published survey results related to AV technologies was conducted. This study may help provide insights into how public perceptions toward AVs have changed over time and the components that change public perceptions.