Exploring the Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Driving Experience, and Trust in Older Adults’ Willingness to Adopt Fully Autonomous Vehicles

Older adults tend to be slower to adopt various technologies, despite noting the benefits that technology can bring to their lives. One such technology, fully autonomous vehicles (AVs), are projected to have significant impact on older adults’ quality of life and ability to age in place. Based on previous literature, we hypothesized that previous driving experience, self-efficacy, trust, and technology acceptance would be significant predictors of an individual’s intent to use AVs and that this relationship would be stronger for older adults than younger ones. This study included both young (18–30 years old) and older (60+ years old) adults. A linear regression model was tested on both age groups. As hypothesized, the model was significant for both samples; furthermore, model fit was higher for the older group. As such, this research adds to the current body of literature that states that older adults have unique concerns and considerations when adopting these technologies.