Public Acceptance of the Use of Drones in City Logistics: A Citizen-Centric Perspective

Sandra Melo (), Flavia Silva, Mohammad Abbasi, Parisa Ahani and Joaquim Macedo
Additional contact information
Sandra Melo: CEiiA—Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento, Av. D. Afonso Henriques, 4450-017 Matosinhos, Portugal
Flavia Silva: RISCO—Research Center for Risks and Sustainability in Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Mohammad Abbasi: CEiiA—Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento, Av. D. Afonso Henriques, 4450-017 Matosinhos, Portugal
Parisa Ahani: CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Joaquim Macedo: RISCO—Research Center for Risks and Sustainability in Construction, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-9

Abstract: The specific use of drones for city logistics has been increasingly studied and analysed by research and industry. An examination of the findings in the literature indicates that drones have proven to be a useful and added-value tool in the most diverse fields. However, the importance of the citizen’s perspective has still not been sufficiently incorporated into the deployment of urban air mobility systems. This paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between public knowledge and the awareness of, and engagement with, drones, alongside the concerns and support for their use in city logistics. A survey was carried out in Portugal of the citizens with a view to better understanding their attitude towards such a goal. The survey revealed a positive attitude towards the use of drones in city logistics and that socio-demographic characteristics, namely gender, education level, job occupation, age, and home location are not directly correlated with citizens’ attitudes. Moreover, citizens revealed that they favour a potential environmental benefit over a reduction in delivery time, which they would be willing to pay for. The policy implications derived can help develop the knowledge of public perception about drone usage for transport-related tasks.

Keywords: door-to-door transport; urban air mobility (UAM); advanced air mobility (AAM); city logistics; public acceptance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2621-:d:1054357

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