Fear of self-driving cars as both a passenger in the car and a pedestrian on the street remains high (since we last surveyed on the topic) with 66 and 69 percent of Americans feeling not so safe or not at all safe in or around autonomous vehicles. But are these fears driving a push for more regulation? Not exactly.
- Since Axios and SurveyMonkey last polled on the topic in May, greater shares of older millennials (25-34 year olds) and seniors (65+) are feeling reticent about AV.
- Seniors represent the most cautious about the technology. Over 80 percent of seniors fear driverless cars--as passengers or pedestrians. Yet, just under a half of 18-24 year olds share the same fear in either scenario, with their fear of walking the streets with car robots down to 49 percent, from 57 percent in May.
- Overall, 47 percent of people say current auto safety regulations are strict enough and 50 percent say they could be improved. Although eight in 10 seniors fear the developing technology, only 52 percent want to see auto safety regulations improved upon.
- Across the board, women are more likely than men to have less favorable views of autonomous vehicles.
Read more from Axios here.
Click through all the results for yourself below, and learn more about our methodology here.
Question wordings:
Do you think automotive safety regulations are strict enough, or could be improved?
How much have you heard about self-driving cars?
How safe would you feel being a passenger in a self-driving car today?
How safe would you feel as a pedestrian in an area with self-driving cars today?
How likely are you to purchase a self-driving car once the technology is fully developed?
