Do Sustainability Concerns Play a Key Role in Influencing Individuals’ Acceptance after Experiencing Shared Autonomous Vehicles? A Field Experiment in China

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors, such as Sustainability Concerns (SCs) and shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) ride experience that influence individuals' acceptance of SAVs. In this study, a theoretical acceptance model forms an extended Technical Acceptance Model by incorporating the dimensions of SCs and two different types of sustainability issues (Human Survival [HS] and Human Development [HD]). Through an online questionnaire, 400 questionnaires were collected. Based on this, the validity of the model was evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis and research analysis was performed. The results showed that HD had a positive and significant impact on SCs, and there was a significant positive correlation between Perceived Usefulness (PU), trust, and SCs and attitude, and attitude was positively correlated with Behavioral Intention (BI). In addition, the riding experience of AVs reinforces the direct influence of attitude on BI.