Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Systems: Exploring the effects of human subjectivity on social acceptance and enhancing cognitive learning using Q methodology

Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Systems: Exploring the effects of human subjectivity on social acceptance and enhancing cognitive learning using Q methodology

Diliou, K.

De Haan, A. (mentor)
Thissen, W. (mentor)
Jagtman, E. (mentor)

Technology, Policy and Management

Policy Analysis

2013-10-30

According to the European Commission (2012), RPAS constitute a very promising new sector in the aerospace field in Europe. The emerging technology of RPAS and the variety of their civil applications (corporate, governmental, commercial, non-military) that make them useful for the military as well as the civil sector are related to monitoring tasks for a long period or flights with high risk through which RPAS can be beneficial for the citizens. However, there are some barriers that prevent the smooth and fast implementation of the wide civil utilization of RPAS. The dilemmas are among others the extent to which the European citizens accept the civil use of RPAS. Privacy issues and safety for example, are considered to be a constraint for the social acceptance of RPAS operations in civilian airspace and may influence the public perception regarding the development of the civil RPAS market. In this research the complex challenges related to SA of RPAS are studied through the identification of shared beliefs and perceptions among the citizens and through the understanding of their characteristics. A literature review as well as a critical reflection on it provides a definition of social acceptance of technological project that scientifically supports this research. Further literature review is used to address the problem, presenting the two polarized opinions; the supporters of the development of the civil RPAS market and the opponents. Moreover, a theoretical study of subjectivity related to risk perception merges the safety characteristics of RPAS with the issue of social acceptance. Q methodology is the quantitative and qualitative tool that is used in this research to study human subjectivity and answer how and why people have a specific opinion about RPAS. Through focus groups, the participants provided a list with statements regarding civil RPAS and their applications, which give a first indication on the issues at stake regarding this emerging market according to the public. These statements are ranked by the participants in this study in order to identify the underlying values that drive their perception. The quantitative analysis showed three factors that share common perspectives, attributing high significance to the possibility of an infringement of privacy as well as improving the current technical safety level of RPAS. Other conditions under which the public is willing to accept the wide utilization of civil RPAS are identified and interpreted combined with the theoretical underlying values that may influence human subjectivity. The analysis provides RPAS community insights on the shared perspectives of the public as well as a first comparison between the experts’ and laypeople viewpoints and areas of consensus and disagreement among them. A constructive dialogue among the policy makers, RPAS managers and the public can be structured having certain reference or starting points. The outcome of the research can be utilized while developing the regulation regime of the civil RPAS market in Europe, during which opposing public opinions may appear. The results that this research has provided can be utilized as a basis for further studies in the field of SA of civil RPAS in order to further identify the market characteristics, their interrelations and the influence they have on social acceptance of civil RPAS.

remotely piloted aircraft systems
risk perception
Q methodology
social acceptance

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2e1b7816-d4aa-41bc-b44d-8ac73966f5df

2016-10-30

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2013 Diliou, K.