The acceptance of civil drones in Germany

H Eißfeldt,D Kügler,M Biella,A Papenfuß,J Belz,M Stolz,V Vogelpohl

doi:10.1007/s13272-020-00447-w

H Eißfeldt, D Kügler + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272-020-00447-w

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Abstract

In recent years, civil drones have become more and more visible in everyday life. There are numerous reports in the media covering a variety of drone aspects and technical developments. In addition, everyone is used to bird’s-eye views as common features in television, movies and photography. However, little is known about how the public perceives this development. This article reports the results of a representative national study on the acceptance of civilian drones. Overall, a balanced but slightly positive attitude towards civil drones was revealed. Factors analyzed include age, gender, place of residence or interest in technical matters, as well as the individual level of knowledge about the topic. Free verbal associations with the general term drone are described as well as concerns about the usage of civil drones. Concerning different applications of civil drones, results indicate clear approval in Germany for the use of drones in civil protection, rescue missions and research work. However, flights for advertising, leisure and parcel delivery purposes are disagreed with by at least half of those questioned. In the presentation of the results, this article describes social acceptance of civilian drones and thus helps to better understand the perception of civil unmanned aerial vehicles.

Highlights

Drones—understood here as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of a civilian nature—are becoming increasingly visible among the public
After explaining the purpose of the study and gaining consent for participation, at the beginning of the interview the respondents were asked whether they knew of the term ‘drones’ in aviation. 97% participants answered ‘Yes’ and were subsequently asked an open question to indicate what they associate with a drone. 794 participants gave answers reaching from one single word to several complex sentences, all being protocolled onsite by the interviewer
For the general acceptance of drones overflying the own house for previously accepted purposes, no significant differences were found between groups [F(6, 753) = 1.86, p = 0.085]

Summary

Introduction

Drones—understood here as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of a civilian nature—are becoming increasingly visible among the public. Drones help with the construction of ropeways and high bridges, inspect wind turbines, investigate whales on the high seas, and even warn of sharks on a beach. Many drone applications, such as precision farming, are considered to have a high potential for saving resources, drone technology is often. This article reports the results of a representative national study on the social acceptance of civilian drones. The results will help to develop new operational concepts for integrating UAS in airspace with high acceptance from the general public. Miethe et al [6] published a national study using three different online survey platforms and with 42% found parcel delivery to be the least supported use of drones in all areas of potential drone use in question. This study concentrated on the perception of drone delivery in the United States and found the level of interest in drone delivery to be different depending on age group, gender, geographic region, and type of residence

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