The gender gap in the acceptance of automated vehicles in Europe

Previous research suggests that there might be a gender gap in the acceptance of automated vehicles (AVs): males are typically found to have a higher intention to use AVs than females, although opposite results have been reported in different countries. The conflicting results have yet to be addressed, and only a few studies have attempted to explain the country-level differences based on quantifiable socio-economic indicators.

We investigated the gender gap in the acceptance of AVs (SAE Level 3) using a questionnaire study among 8412 car-drivers in eight European countries as part of the European L3Pilot project. For this study, the gender gap in the acceptance of AVs is defined as the difference in the willingness to use, buy and activate the automated driving function in AVs between men and women. Results showed two distinct realities for Europe: in one group of countries, females were less willing to use AVs than males, while in another group, both males and females had similar acceptance towards AVs with higher ratings overall. These country groups were different in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and the Gender Equality Index (GEI). The gender gap in the acceptance of AVs was larger in countries with a higher GDP and GEI.

The study findings suggest that the gender gap in the acceptance of AVs is not universal, and the countries’ progress in economics and gender equality are related to people's attitudes toward AVs. This finding enhances policy development and planning future transport solutions to ensure that all potential users can benefit from AVs.