The Attitudes towards Autonomous Vehicles in a Medium-Sized Academic-Dominated U.S. Metropolitan Area With Cold Winters

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles, AVs, as an emerging technology will contribute to fundamental changes in the transportation of cities. Medium-sized academic-dominated U.S. towns with cold winters and a large proportion of college students and employees are some of the regions with special travel patterns that may potentially contribute to a different perception of AVs. Using a stated preference survey in the two main universities in the Fargo-Moorhead area, perceived usefulness, perceived risk, and a winter-related variable defined as transportation safety improvement by AVs in inclement weather were simultaneously modeled. Given that the respondents agreed with the stated usefulness and risks of AVs, not being single was associated with an increased likelihood of agreeing with the winter-related variable for the respondents above 25. Low income households were associated with a 25% increase in the likelihood of agreeing with the winter-related variable for the respondents in the non-student model.