The Public Acceptance of Drones – Challenges for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

Abstract

In recent years, civil drones have become increasingly present in the media and in everyday life. However, public acceptance of drones still seems limited, with acceptance rates usually ranging around 50%. This contribution reports recent findings about the acceptance of civilian drones. Several factors influencing the public attitude towards drones are described here, such as the acceptance of certain drone applications and concerns about civil drones in general, with special consideration given to concerns about noise. Moreover, an effect of NIMBYism is confirmed, as even residents who envision using drones for the delivery of parcels or as air taxis frequently report that they would not agree to flights over their own homes. Special attention is paid to the problem of increasing noise annoyance among residents near airports and its implications for the upscaling of drone operations, as well as potential countermeasures. Finally, the need for regulation is discussed, as well as potential measures to meet certain challenges of advanced aerial mobility. Providing consistent and transparent information about drones by stakeholders is seen as basic measure to increase acceptance. Besides defining aspects like topographical conditions, urban areas and time restrictions by regulation, providing residents with tools for participatory noise sensing can also be a viable measure to increase public support for advanced air mobility.