4 - Secondary publications

Public attitude toward Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has been extensively researched, frequently using surveys or experimental settings involving sound/noise. In this study, we present an experiment using visual stimuli, exploring not only the acceptance of UAVs as such but also of their interactions with different environments. The stimuli were pictures of quadcopters, either white or orange, with medical or commercial markings. For comparison, pictures of helicopters with the same four variations and a goose were also used. These pictures were superimposed over three types of backgrounds: urban, industrial, and rural. Twenty-four student participants took part in this study, each responding to 81 stimuli with Likert scale ratings for the acceptance and beauty of the stimuli after responding to objects that were used as a manipulation check. Reaction times for all responses were recorded. Afterward, participants completed a survey designed to identify the reasons for their judgments regarding acceptance. Our results deliver a complex view of the acceptance of UAVs. For example, the usage of the UAV had the largest impact on acceptance, with medical usage having the highest acceptance rating. Commercial usage was more accepted in industrial areas, and UAVs were more accepted than helicopters. The survey showed a heterogeneous variety and relevance of reasons for the acceptance ratings. On average, usefulness, traffic relief, reduction of privacy, and acceptance by society were indicated as the most relevant factors affecting the acceptance ratings. In general, our study suggests that the less considered visual factors of drones (salience in our study) can be expected to influence the acceptance of UAVs in addition to the noise factor. Most importantly, the physical characteristics of UAVs alone are insufficient to predict their acceptance. The purposes for which UAVs are used (that might be visually recognizable) and the environment in which they are operated play an important role in shaping public attitudes towards this new technology.

Angesichts des jüngsten neoimperialistischen Ausgreifen Russlands wird auch den letzten Verfechtern des modernisierungstheoretischen Diktums vom „Ende der Geschichte“ (Francis Fukuyama) bewusst geworden sein, dass die Welt keineswegs vor einer Universalisierung westlich-liberaler Ordnungsvorstellungen steht. Im Gegenteil: Selbst die Säulen der regelbasierten internationalen Ordnung stehen unter Druck wie wohl nie zuvor. Wir sind Zeugen einer Rückkehr zu systemischen Konfrontationen – gerade auch vermeintlich regionale Konflikte haben immer öfter eine geopolitische Dimension, was militärische Großmachtkonflikte wahrscheinlicher werden lässt. So könnte man in wenigen Sätzen den Ausgangspunkt der Überlegungen Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrziks skizzieren, die mit „China und die Neuordnung derWelt“ ein überaus lesenswertes thesengespicktes Sachbuch vorlegt. Die renommierte, emeritierte Professorin für Moderne Sinologie und aktuelle Programmdirektorin für China im Wiener Thinktank Center for Strategic Analysis treibt die Sorge vor einem neuen Weltenbrand (S. 206f.). Ihr Buch erscheint vor diesem Hintergrund nicht nur als geopolitische Bestandsaufnahme, sondern auch als Versuch, neue Mechanismen internationaler Konfliktbearbeitung in einer hochgradig fragilen, multipolaren Welt zu entwerfen (S. 201).