Public acceptance of drones: Knowledge, attitudes, and practice

Drones are currently being used for commercial, public safety, hobby, and scientific research purposes. Short term and long term forecasts show extensive utilization of drones in various sectors. Yet, it is uncertain if general public accepts this highly potential drone congestion. This quantitative survey study explored public acceptance of drones by using the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) model and using statistical analysis to decrease the uncertainty. The KAP model was utilized in a recent survey study to understand the public opinion of drones. This survey instrument was thoroughly redesigned to better understand general public's knowledge and attitudes of forty different drone applications, and associated risk perceptions. The practice section was redesigned as well to better understand how public uses drones personally and on company level. The results showed that drones were not well accepted at present except for public safety and scientific research applications. Commercial and hobby uses are not supported. Public sees the drones as a risky technology that directly interferes with their privacy. Moreover, public is not aware of most of the future drone applications, and many current applications. The survey was distributed to both general public and stakeholders to represent both part of the society (153 fully completed surveys). A qualitative risk analysis was conducted in this study as well. By considering the results, this study recommends that public and private institutions should collaborate to develop risk mitigation and response strategies to minimize the risks. Also, public needs to get informed on these strategies through mass media and educational institutions. This might help improving the reputation of drones from killer machines or privacy interrupters towards a technology that helps our society.