Psychological factors affecting potential users’ intention to use autonomous vehicles

Abstract

As a currently emerging technology and an emerging intelligent mode of transport, autonomous vehicles (AVs) with lots of potential advantages need attention in terms of acceptability of their users. This research incorporates three psychological factors of perceived trust, perceived value, and perceived enjoyment into the technology acceptance model, and explores the influence of these factors on the potential use intention of AVs users. In this study, the questionnaire data from 232 participants were analysed, and the structural equation model test study model was adopted, and nine hypotheses proposed in this study were verified. The results show that perceived enjoyment, perceived trust, perceived usefulness, and attitude have a direct positive impact on users’ usage intentions. Perceived value, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use have a direct positive impact on user attitudes. In addition, perceived ease of use has also been shown to directly affect perceived usefulness. This study constructs and demonstrates a model of autonomous vehicle acceptance. This model can be used for user acceptance research of unmanned vehicles. The research expands the theory of technology acceptance model and its applicable fields, and enriches the theory of user research on unmanned vehicles. This study provides predictors of AVs acceptance for AVs designers, automakers, automotive policy makers, and related practitioners. Help them make actionable autonomous vehicle-related decisions to promote high-acceptance autonomous vehicle design and user intent for autonomous vehicles.