I, Skeptical? A quantitative study of Consumer Resistance to innovations in services in the Context of Autonomous Public Transport

Sammanfattning

Artificial intelligence (AI) such as automated driving systems and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are getting more and more common in our daily lives. The application of these systems in services are rapidly developing and prototype testing can be seen more frequently. However, these advancements face critical challenges as they are integrated into our society, they can encounter resistance as they disrupt habits, norms and traditions. Consumers perceive skepticism, anxiety and other feelings as these new services push boundaries of how they function, perform and integrate. Consumer resistance to these innovations is challenging as it requires stakeholders to understand potential barriers and risks, if they fail to do so the likelihood of smooth adoption drastically decreases. Stakeholders do not only face the possibility of delayed adoption rate but also complete rejection. In order to avoid or potentially minimize resistance to innovations, an understanding of what factors play a role in impacting consumer resistance is vital. This study's purpose was to research which previously suggested factors in the extended consumer resistance model by Mani and Chouk (2018) would impact skepticism towards autonomous vehicles in the context of autonomous public transport. The study conducted a quantitative survey method to collect data from commuters to and from university. The study finds that of the three independent variables Perceived Technological Dependence, Technology Anxiety and Inertia, one of the independent variables, technology anxiety is supported to have an impact directly on skepticism to autonomous vehicles as an innovation in services in the context of autonomous public transport.