Driving the Future: Using TAM and UTAUT to Understand Public Acceptance of Fully Autonomous Vehicles

The implementation of fully autonomous vehicles (FAVs) has been proposed to yield societal and environmental benefits. However, there are uncertainties regarding the factors influencing the acceptance of FAVs in developing countries which has been understudied. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors affecting public acceptance of the adoption of FAVs, applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Unified Theory and Acceptance Technology (UTAUT) conceptual frameworks. Data was collected through an online survey (n = 593). The results reveal a moderate predictive ability of both TAM and UTAUT in explaining behavior intention to use FAVs. The most significant predictors of FAVs adoption behavior are perceived usefulness and social influence. This study also identified the perceived ease of use, attitude toward behavior, hedonic motivation, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy as significant predictors. Conversely, facilitating condition is found to exert minimal influence on FAVs acceptance. Finally, none of the demographic factors (age, gender, education, occupations, and residencies) serves as a significant moderator in the relationship between the main factors of TAM and UTAUT. Our findings may help researchers and practitioners to enhance the acceptability of FAV adoption.