Prediction of Drivers' Attitudes towards Autonomous Vehicles Based on Personality Using Structural Equations

Autonomous vehicles promise a significant potential to maintain the mobility of various individuals even as their driving abilities decline. However, attitudes can act as a significant barrier to their acceptance, as shown for other technologies. This study examined how personality traits predict attitudes in a sample of 108 individuals aged 18 to 72. 21 personality questions identified introversion and extroversion, and 15 attitude questionnaire items were identified. Concerns about autonomous vehicles, eagerness to adopt autonomous vehicles, and willingness to relinquish driving control were assessed. Structural equation modeling shows that lack of concern has a significant impact coefficient of 0.576 (more introverted than extroverted) on the willingness to accept technology. Also, lack of concern has a significant impact coefficient of 0.486 (more extroverted than introverted) on the willingness to relinquish driving control. The eagerness to adopt autonomous vehicles on the willingness to relinquish driving control did not show a significant difference in intensity between extroverted and introverted samples. Furthermore, the mediating role of the eagerness to adopt autonomous vehicles in the relationship between lack of concern about autonomous vehicles and the willingness to relinquish driving control was significantly greater in introverted samples than in extroverted samples. These results indicate that in order to convince consumers to accept self-driving car technology, there is a need for various information dissemination campaigns based on a precise understanding of individuals' personalities.