Public acceptance of autonomous and remotely piloted drones in civil and military domains: Socioeconomic, political, and safety correlates
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11230%2F25%3A10505081" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11230/25:10505081 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oZQNIkawjJ" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oZQNIkawjJ</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.24136/oc.3640" target="_blank" >10.24136/oc.3640</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Public acceptance of autonomous and remotely piloted drones in civil and military domains: Socioeconomic, political, and safety correlates
Original language description
Research background: Although drone acceptance research is extensive, key gaps remain in understanding how socio-demographic, educational, and attitudinal variables intersect to shape public perceptions. Existing studies frequently address drones' ethical and legal dimensions but seldom explore how gender, education, and political trust collectively inform acceptance, particularly in comparing civil versus military, remotely piloted versus autonomous technologies. Purpose of the article: This study investigates public perceptions of drone technology, societal safety, and trust in governance, with a special focus on how demographic and educational factors influence attitudes and behaviors. It aims to illuminate determinants of drone acceptance-including safety perceptions and endorsement of police-drone initiatives-and offer policy-relevant insights into integrating novel technologies responsibly. Methods: A quantitative survey of 1,250 Czech respondents (15+) employed quota sampling to capture diverse demographic and educational backgrounds. Participants completed a 50-item electronic questionnaire, yielding data on drone acceptance across varied contexts (e.g., infrastructure surveillance, military operations). Binary logistic regression and descriptive statistics were used to analyze associations between socio-demographic variables, perceived safety, and support for drone use in public order and traffic enforcement. Findings & value added: Results indicate that males more readily accept autonomous drone operations in critical infrastructure, while females exhibit higher uncertainty overall. Education strongly conditions opposition, with university-educated respondents more critical of lethal drone use but more trusting of democratic and expert-led governance frameworks. The regression analysis reveals that neither age nor active opposition to drones significantly reduces perceived safety. Rather, awareness of existing police-drone programs and agreement with their use significantly enhance individuals' sense of safety. These findings highlight the importance of transparent communication, targeted outreach for women and less educated groups, and dedicated support for mid-sized communities. In addition, by synthesizing recent business and logistics scholarship, the study demonstrates that drones' broader economic value is highly conditional: viable in hybrid delivery systems, infrastructure-sensitive in urban logistics, and legitimacy-dependent in marketing and construction sectors. This combined perspective advances both theoretical and policy debates, linking public acceptance with economic feasibility.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50601 - Political science
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/VK01030216" target="_blank" >VK01030216: Automated system for critical infrastructure protection using cyber-physical technologies</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Oeconomia Copernicana
ISSN
2083-1277
e-ISSN
2353-1827
Volume of the periodical
16
Issue of the periodical within the volume
3
Country of publishing house
PL - POLAND
Number of pages
58
Pages from-to
1295-1352
UT code for WoS article
001606296200009
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105022929959