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| © Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. There's hardly a consensus on how the world feels about self-driving cars. Audi |
While autonomous cars and self-driving technology aren't ready to
roll in the near future, such technology is bound to become widespread
in the decades to come. Yet despite intrigue in the technology and
advances, there remains one hurdle that could prove difficult to clear:
human acceptance.
A new study from German luxury brand Audi (specifically
its &Audi Initiative) painted two distinct portraits of individuals
around the world. The company surveyed and studied 21,000 respondents
globally from nine countries. Citizens from China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, France, Japan and the US each provided responses.
The
study broke findings out into three overall categories: the emotional
landscape, the human readiness index (HRI) and several user typology
templates. The most important of these is the second point, the HRI.
The
HRI spans age groups, gender, living environment, income, education and
the distance a respondent drives each day. By and large, younger
generations hold the idea of autonomous driving in a more positive
light. Even across each of the nine countries, those belonging to Generation Z
(under the age of 24) showed a "high readiness" for self-driving
technology, and 73% said they were curious about the technology.
Millennials came in second, though far less ready as Gen Z, while Baby
Boomers displayed the least readiness. Overall, almost half of those
surveyed still viewed autonomous vehicles with optimism, however at 49%.
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| © Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. How does the world feel about self-driving cars? Audi made these nifty snapshots. Audi |
Internationally, 82% surveyed said they were interested in
self-driving technology, but each country painted a very different
picture. Those in China and South Korea are incredibly enthusiastic and
interested with 98% and 94%, but on the other end of the spectrum, Japan
and the US are far from as enthusiastic. Just 74% and 72% of Japanese
and US respondents, respectively, said they were interested. The
generational attitudes toward autonomous cars was present in each
country, however.
In general, Asia (aside from Japan) views self-driving cars as a
Holy Grail of sorts, while western countries are far more skeptical. At
a minimum, they're indifferent.
Breaking down the concerns of
those that aren't thrilled with autonomous cars, Audi found plenty valid
concerns. The vast majority (70%) are concerned with giving up control,
per the international figures. How the car assesses situations
independently from a human also concerned respondents with 65% noting
the potential issue. Lack of a legal framework, data security and lack
of driving fun also scored as reasons for the lack of enthusiasm over
self-driving vehicles.
Despite the coverage that crashes involving self-driving cars
receive, it's done little to sway opinions, according to the study. In
total, 61% of those who've seen coverage of crashes involving autonomous
cars said it didn't change their attitude for better or for worse.
Where
do we go from here? Audi lays out a well-positioned plan. Autonomous
technology is, clearly, not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Different
countries, those hailing from rural or urban areas,
and people with varying levels of income all expect different things
from a world with "mobility for all." The goal moving forward will be to
create an environment that not only educates the public, but overall,
provides a way to guarantee safety and the benefits companies promise.
