Decision Technology Survey Suggests Negative Reaction to Driverless Cars

LONDON, April 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

In a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 UK residents in February 2018, Decision Technology asked respondents to state the main emotion they feel about the prospect of driverless cars. As tech giants continue to develop the technology, Decision Technology wanted to understand whether there is consumer appetite for this innovation.

It was found that the British public is overwhelmingly negative on the topic. When asked the main emotion they feel about the prospect of driverless cars, 80% cited negative emotions. For reference, in previous rounds of testing the highest level of negativity was 86% towards the prospect of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons, while 66% showed negative emotions towards climate change.

This topic is emotive, evoking an apathetic response in only 5% of the sample, the lowest level seen in Decision Technology's historical data. The main emotions cited were scared and worried, and somewhat counterintuitively a more negative reaction was found amongst younger respondents.

Even in contexts where driverless cars could be perceived as useful, such as driving home from the pub, little variation was seen in the reaction.

Claire Nolan, Principal at Dectech, comments: "Consumers tend to be sceptical or even scared of new innovations, and the driverless car is no different. Harvard Professor Calestous Juma proposes that new innovations can cause people to feel that they are losing a piece of their identity or lifestyle, and it appears that the ease and cost benefits of the driverless car do not outweigh these losses. The recent accident where a self-driving car killed a pedestrian in Arizona has shown that the technology is not ready yet, but neither are consumers."

Notes to Editors 

• Research was conducted by Decision Technology online from 20^th-26^th February 2018 on 1,068 UK adults.

About Decision Technology 

Decision Technology (Dectech) is an innovative research consultancy that specialises in helping businesses and policymakers understand and manage customer decision-making, from acquisition through to retention and all the points in-between. It applies insights and techniques from behavioural science, such as randomised controlled field trials and online behavioural experiments, rather than traditional market research surveys. It is a member of the Market Research Society and the Management Consultancies Association.