Is the public at large warming to expanded drone use?

While a growing number of government agencies and commercial industries are deploying unmanned aerial vehicles in an ever-increasing number of applications – from public safety to construction, mining and real estate – ordinary citizens still aren’t sure whether they want drones filling the nation’s airspaces.

Still, polling results are mixed.

A recent survey conducted by Virginia Tech University in Christiansburg, VA, a drone hub for Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, found enthusiastic support for the company’s retail store deliveries. Well over 80% of those polled said they strongly supported drone flights to receive eggs, milk and other basic food items from local stores.  Just a tiny fraction – less than 10% – opposed these deliveries.

As Wing notes, that finding is in sharp contrast to other surveys conducted in recent years which found widespread public concern – and even antipathy – toward drone flights, especially those conducted in the retail sector.

The VTU survey was conducted in a single small town where drone deliveries began in 2019.  Local townsfolk have had a chance to get used to the Wing flights and have whatever concerns they might have had initially about the speed of delivery, noise level or safety of drone flights allayed by the company’s track record in the field.  Sme residents have even gone on YouTube to extol the importance of Wing’s deliveries, especially for sick and elderly residents confined to their homes or for other residents that live far from local stores.

Past surveys conducted across a broader cross-section of the American population – as well as surveys conducted in Germany and the Netherlands –  have found that support for drones tends to be higher in specific applications like public safety, search-and-rescue and humanitarian relief.  In addition, those with greater knowledge of the drone industry and those with a greater interest in new technologies generally tend to be more supportive of drones,

Another recent survey found exceptionally high support for drones for the purpose of inspecting public energy grids, construction sites, mines and oil and gas pipelines.  The fact that these activities tend to be conducted far from population centers, reducing the safety risk, seems to count highly in their favor.

Not everyone is ready to warm to drones, however.  The biggest lingering concern remains possible infringements on privacy and civic freedom.  Many local trespass laws do not cover drone-flying by private fliers who are still free to snoop on their neighbors.  And well documented accounts of law enforcement agencies deploying drones to monitor public protests has left many citizens leery of giving drone operators – public and private – extensive leeway in their activities.

Still, VTU may well be onto something.  Drones aren’t yet commonplace but as the technology moves steadily beyond the “early adoption” phase of diffusion, public support for unmanned aircraft may well be growing.  Thousands of companies are deploying drones successfully to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency and enhance sustainability.  Most police agencies have developed strict protocols to limit their use of drones beyond legitimate crime fighting purposes.  And the looming introduction of drone taxis and other drone passenger vehicles has revived the decades-old Jetsonian fantasy of “flying cars” for personal use.

As VTU and Wing note, it is incumbent upon public and private agencies to do a better job of explaining the many benefits of drones and to respond proactively to lingering concerns about their risk wherever they arise.  Drones have much to offer the country and the more the public sees drones in action and can have their questions answered, the faster support for their use will grow.