Survey Results from the Automobile Safety Research Institute
47.5% "Willing to Use Autonomous Public Transportation"
Nearly half of the population expressed willingness to purchase autonomous vehicles in the future, according to a survey. It was found that younger age groups have less resistance to autonomous vehicles.
On the 24th, Seoul City held the 'Cheonggyecheon Autonomous Bus Operation Launch Ceremony' at Cheonggye Plaza, officially announcing the start of operations. Mayor Oh Se-hoon boarded the autonomous bus as the first passenger, traveling approximately 3.4 km from Cheonggye Plaza to Seun Shopping Center and back to Cheonggye Plaza, checking the safety of the operation and encouraging the operators and related personnel. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On the 7th, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority’s Automotive Safety Research Institute (KATRI) conducted a survey of 3,000 men and women nationwide aged 14 to 79. The results showed that 45.1% of respondents answered that they "intend to purchase an autonomous vehicle." Those who answered "no" accounted for 26.2%, and 28.7% responded "neutral," not clearly expressing their intention.
Looking at the purchase intention by age group, teenagers showed the highest at 53.2%. This was followed by people in their 20s (47.5%), 50s (47.2%), 40s (45.6%), 30s (44%), and 60s (42.3%). Those in their 70s were the lowest at 34.4%.
Regarding the willingness to use autonomous public transportation, 47.5% of all respondents answered "yes." Those who answered "no" were 22.2%, and "neutral" was 30.3%. Again, teenagers showed an overwhelmingly high rate at 66.4%, while those in their 70s were the lowest at 39.1%. The rates for other age groups were 52.5% for 20s, 40.5% for 30s, 41.9% for 40s, 46.3% for 50s, and 44.6% for 60s.
Only 25.9% of respondents had experience using the commercialized autonomous driving "Level 2" technology. Level 2 refers to "partial driving automation," a stage of autonomous driving where the driver must remain seated and monitor the driving environment even if they do not operate the steering wheel or pedals.
When asked to describe the first image that comes to mind upon hearing the term "autonomous vehicle" in an open-ended question, the largest group (23%) responded with "comfortable and convenient." Following that, the American company Tesla, its CEO Elon Musk, and Tesla’s autonomous driving system Autopilot?which are regarded as the most advanced in autonomous driving technology?accounted for the next largest response at 13%.
The institute stated, "It appears that public understanding of autonomous driving technology at 'Level 3' (where the driver intervenes upon system request) or higher is still lacking." They added, "Like the United States, Korea should regularly conduct safety and acceptance surveys on autonomous vehicles and continuously explore ways to increase public acceptance based on these findings."
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