An investigation of perceived risk dimensions in acceptability of shared autonomous vehicles, a mediation-moderation analysis.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-74024-0
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Summary
This study investigates the factors influencing the acceptability of shared autonomous vehicles with ride-sharing services (SAVWRS), specifically focusing on the impact of perceived risk dimensions. While SAVWRS offer potential benefits for sustainable transportation, such as reduced congestion and emissions, public adoption is hindered by uncertainties regarding safety, privacy, and cost. The authors identify a gap in existing literature, noting that previous studies often treated perceived risk as a single construct or failed to examine all its dimensions simultaneously. Consequently, this research aims to determine how six specific dimensions of perceived risk—financial, performance, physical, security, social, and time—affect usage intention. It further examines the mediating role of trust and the moderating effect of generation, comparing Millennials and Baby Boomers to understand demographic disparities in technology acceptance. The researchers conducted an online survey in 2021, collecting data from a random sample of 723 individuals. Using structural equation modeling, they analyzed the relationships between the six perceived risk dimensions, trust, and behavioral intention to use SAVWRS. The theoretical framework was grounded in perceived risk theory, positing that higher perceived risks negatively impact usage intention, with trust serving as a mediator. The study also hypothesized that generational differences would moderate these relationships, expecting Millennials to exhibit lower risk concerns and higher acceptance rates compared to Baby Boomers. The results indicate that all six perceived risk dimensions are negatively related to consumers’ intention to use SAVWRS. The risks were ranked in descending order of impact: social, performance, time, physical, security, and financial risks. Trust was found to fully mediate the relationships between performance, physical, financial, and security risks and usage intention. However, trust only partially mediated the relationships for social and time risks. Regarding generational differences, the moderation analysis revealed that Millennials are generally less concerned about most perceived risk dimensions than Baby Boomers, with the exception of social and time risks, where no significant generational difference was observed. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of consumer behavior toward autonomous mobility. By demonstrating that perceived risk is multidimensional and that trust plays a critical mediating role, the study suggests that policymakers and industry stakeholders must address specific risk concerns to foster widespread acceptance. The results imply that strategies to promote SAVWRS should be tailored to different generational cohorts, particularly targeting Baby Boomers’ heightened concerns about performance, physical, and security risks. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of addressing social and time risks, which were found to be significant barriers regardless of age, thereby offering actionable insights for improving user experience and facilitating the transition to sustainable, shared autonomous transportation systems.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | PubMed Central | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| archive | success | unpaywall | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-26 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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