College Students’ Cognition and Attitude Towards Connected and Autonomous Vehicles in China: an Exploratory Study

This study intended to explore college students’ cognition and attitudes towards connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) in China. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed and distributed in Mainland China, and after collecting and processing the data, Bayesian multivariate analysis was presented to evaluate the six dimensions of cognition, consciousness, safety, privacy, liability, education and acceptance. By analysing each dimension, the results show that gender and status are significant for consciousness, safety, privacy and education, but location plays a significant role in safety and liability. It is found that each dimension reveals a specific thought of college students, and the potential users’ cognition and attitude should be paid more attention to. Some empirical suggestions are presented to enhance the systematic improvement of CAVs and possible ethics issues.