Key factors shaping public acceptance of autonomous vehicles in China: A mixed-methods study using social media and survey data

• Explore key factors shaping public acceptance of AVs in China. • Trust in AV performance boosts public attitudes and acceptance. • Public concern grows over how AVs meet concrete goals and needs. • Task–technology fit mediates trust effects on AV acceptance. • Technology adoption propensity predicts trust and task–technology fit. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may bring substantial benefits to society and daily life; however, their psychological acceptance is unlikely to be straightforward. While prior studies have examined factors influencing AV acceptance, few have investigated the psychological acceptance process by linking public perceptions with statistical verification of acceptance mechanisms through a mixed-method approach. This study integrates content analysis and structural equation modelling, drawing on comments from TikTok (Douyin, the Chinese version of the platform) and an online survey (N = 693) in Shenzhen, China, to explore public perceptions and their effects on AV acceptance. Content analysis first identified key public concerns—such as trust in AV performance and task–technology fit—before informing a theoretical model of AV acceptance. The results show that trust in AV performance significantly enhances public attitudes toward AVs and behavioral intentions to use them, whereas trust in AV institutions does not. They also reveal growing public concern about how AVs can support concrete goals and needs, with task–technology fit mediating the influence of trust in AV performance on acceptance. In addition, technology adoption propensity emerged as a significant predictor shaping both trust and task–technology fit. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of AV acceptance mechanisms and provides practical insights for the future widespread deployment of AVs.