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Risk Perceptions and Public Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles: A Comparative Study in Japan and Israel

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  • Diana Khan

    (Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Development Technology Department, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 734-8529, Japan)

  • Akimasa Fujiwara

    (Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Transdisciplinary Science and Advanced Engineering Program, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 734-8529, Japan)

  • Yoram Shiftan

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel)

  • Makoto Chikaraishi

    (Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Transdisciplinary Science and Advanced Engineering Program, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 734-8529, Japan)

  • Einat Tenenboim

    (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
    School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA)

  • Thi Anh Hong Nguyen

    (Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Transdisciplinary Science and Advanced Engineering Program, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 734-8529, Japan)

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are rapidly transforming the automotive industry due to rising consumer interest in these vehicles worldwide. However, few studies have compared different countries in terms of public acceptance of AVs. This study compares public acceptance of AVs as a function of risk perceptions in two countries leading the AV industry—Japan and Israel. We set our study within the risk-as-feelings framework. In contrast to “risk as analysis,” which invokes factual reasoning to bear on risk assessment and decision making, “risk as feelings” takes affective cues such as the sense of dread and unfamiliarity into judgments of risk. To this end, we conducted two web-based surveys in Japan in 2017 and Israel in 2021. In a between-subjects design, we manipulated introductory video information to portray various combinations of risk factors commonly associated with AVs: system errors, external interferences with car controls (e.g., hacking), and the inability of the AV to cope with unexpected events. Next, participants were surveyed about how they perceive the risks of AVs and other well-known technologies and activities. Results showed that acceptable risk, perceived risk, and perceived benefit of AVs were all generally higher in Israel than in Japan. The opposite pattern was found for a “risk adjustment factor,” suggesting that the Japanese seek more safety before acceptance than Israelis. Furthermore, we conducted a factor analysis on seven risk dimensions, resulting in a two-factor model of dread and unfamiliarity. Cognitive mapping of AVs and other technologies and activities in the two-factor plane revealed that the AV technologies we studied (i.e., AV-car levels 3 and 4; AV-bus levels 3 and 4) have high unfamiliarity risk but moderate dread risk compared to technologies and activities such as smoking, flying, and handguns. After exposure to video-based educational content, unfamiliarity risk was less influential but dread risk—in particular, related to human-made risks—became more influential. The results indicated that manufacturers and policymakers should emphasize mitigating human-made risks instead of focusing on improving public familiarity with AVs to garner trust and improve public acceptance of the technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Diana Khan & Akimasa Fujiwara & Yoram Shiftan & Makoto Chikaraishi & Einat Tenenboim & Thi Anh Hong Nguyen, 2022. "Risk Perceptions and Public Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicles: A Comparative Study in Japan and Israel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10508-:d:895611
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    References listed on IDEAS

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