The influence mechanism of the willingness to use autonomous taxis: A combined analysis of social listening and questionnaire survey

This study aims to identify the key factors and intricate network relationships that shape individuals’ willingness to use autonomous taxis (ATs). Using a mixed-methods approach, we initially gathered approximately 3,800 user-generated comments from the Douyin platform through social listening techniques and subsequently constructed a comprehensive theoretical framework based on grounded theory. This study further validated these findings through empirical analysis of 434 valid questionnaires utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings are as follows: (1) Six core factors significantly impact the willingness to use ATs: perceived usefulness, perceived risks, trust propensity, technological interest, fear psychology, and rejection psychology. (2) Path analysis demonstrates that perceived usefulness, trust propensity, and technological interest have a significantly positive impact on the willingness to use ATs, whereas perceived risks and rejection psychology exhibit significant negative impacts. Notably, trust propensity has a positive effect on perceived usefulness and a negative effect on perceived risks. This study further identifies technological interest has a significant positive influence on trust propensity, and reveals negative correlations between fear psychology and rejection psychology. These findings offer valuable guidance for the advancement of autonomous driving technology by providing practical insights and future research directions. They also serve as important references for future technological innovations and marketing strategies, aiding the commercialization process of ATs.