From Driving to Inhabiting: Age Rather than Empathy May Shape Mobility Interactions with Fully Automated Vehicles

Abstract

Fully automated vehicles (AVs) are transforming mobility by shifting users’ roles from active driving toward inhabiting interactive environments. We conducted an exploratory cross-sectional survey (N = 109;63 female, 45 male, 1 non-binary) in Germany to investigate how empathy-related personality traits and age influence anticipated AV acceptance and willingness to engage in non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs). Bayesian analyses of the QAAD and SPF-IRI instruments revealed no substantial evidence for a link between empathy and AV expectations (BF10 < 10). Furthermore, we observed a generational shift: older adults expressed lower interest in NDRTs, whereas younger participants reported greater interest, suggesting that AVs may be used as inhabitable spaces for work and entertainment. These findings suggest that future mobility interactions are shaped more strongly by generation-specific practices and practical expectations than by empathy-related personality traits.