Public Opinion on Route 12

Autonomous vehicles will substantially change traffic as we know it today. The execution of test runs with autonomous vehicles offers a good opportunity to assess the public’s opinion on this matter. Associated with the introduction of the autonomous Route 12 in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) at ETH Zurich carried out a survey on the test run of Route 12 as well as autonomous driving in general, using 1,408 randomly selected participants from three municipalities of the Canton of Schaffhausen between February and April 2018. The current report describes the process of data collection and presents the results for this first of three planned surveys.

Although the participants were generally sceptical towards fully automated road traffic, trial runs such as the one in Neuhausen am Rheinfall are highly supported. Concerns regarding a general transition are spread across a variety of aspects, but primarily on the possible misuse through third parties, for example through hacking attacks, but also regarding interaction with weaker participants in traffic (cyclists and pedestrians) and the reaction in unexpected situations. A possible transfer of data from vehicles to the state, for example to the Road Traffic Department or the Swiss Federal Tax Administration is rejected by a large majority.

We found minor differences regarding certain demographic attributes. While women have fewer concerns about a general transition, they do judge possible problems such as the loss of jobs and loss of control over driving as more concerning. Participants in the age group below 40 also show significantly higher concerns regarding possible loss of jobs, but also regarding a loss of enjoyment while driving. Participants with tertiary education show significantly lower fear of potential job losses. They also show less concern regarding loss of control or enjoyment while driving.

Neuhausen am Rheinfall’s population is well-informed about the test run of Route 12, mainly due to articles in the local newspaper. Additionally, the execution of the test run in Neuhausen am Rheinfall is met with support by a large majority. However, the responsible authorities need to improve on providing information regarding the communication of the background of the project implementation.