How media narratives shape public sentiment toward electric micromobility: Stronger effects for e-scooters than e-bikes

Public sentiment toward electric micromobility, particularly e-scooters and e-bikes, is increasingly shaping safety debates and regulatory responses; yet, these attitudes and perceptions have not been systematically evaluated within a unified framework, nor is it clear to what extent they reflect stable judgments versus sensitivity to external narratives. This study addresses these gaps by quantifying public sentiment toward e-bikes and e-scooters and evaluating their responsiveness to controlled negative media narrative exposure. A unified survey framework was developed to enable consistent evaluation, combining statement-based measures with image-based scenario assessments. Two complementary studies were conducted with Australian participants. Study 1 (N = 1027) established baseline sentiment in the absence of media exposure, and Study 2 (N = 1025) examined how responses shift following controlled exposure to negative news headlines. The results showed that public sentiment is multi-dimensional and mixed. While both modes received moderate recognition in terms of sustainability and legitimacy, practical acceptance remained lower, particularly for e-scooters. Exposure to negative media narratives produced broader and more consistent shifts toward less favorable sentiments for e-scooters, especially in perceptions of rider behavior and public-space interaction, whereas e-bike responses remained comparatively stable and more robust to media narrative exposure. In contrast, evaluations of concrete negative situations showed no systematic change following exposure, indicating that these evaluations are grounded in situational interpretation rather than external framing. The findings suggest that public sentiment should be used cautiously to inform policy development. While consistent concerns linked to observable safety issues justify targeted interventions, broader sentiment shifts may reflect narrative influence rather than actual conditions. Effective policy should therefore be informed not only by public sentiment but also by objective evidence on behavior, exposure, and risk.