Paladyn, J. Behav. Robot. 2019; 10:286–297 Research Article Open Access Stefania Operto* Evaluating public opinion towards robots: a mixed-method approach https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2019-0023 Received June 27, 2019; accepted July 11, 2019 1 Introduction Abstract: The article presents the results of some research In this article the author presents a study on human-robot conducted in Italy on the perception of robots. The study interaction conducted in 2017/2018 in collaboration with was carried out as part of a project arranged by the School the Italian non-profit organization Scuola di Robotica, car- of Robotics (Scuola di Robotica) in 2017/2018 and involved ried out with a national project called ‘Ogeima’. around 700 Italian citizens belonging to different social The aim of the research was to detect people’s opin- groups. Data collection used mixed methods: surveys, fo- ions and attitudes towards robots and to observe directly cus groups, interviews, and participatory workshops. The behaviors and reactions towards humanoid robots. The re- results were compared with surveys conducted in Europe search was conducted on a sample of Italian citizens with by the Eurobarometer. a mixed-method research approach; standard and non- Italy is an interesting context for this type of study for the standard methods were used: surveys, focus groups, in- density of robots, for the growth trends of robotics com- terviews, participatory workshops and mock-up studies pared to other countries and for the relationships between robots [1, 2]. The results of the research conducted in Italy industry and the labor market. The results of the research were compared with research carried out at European level show that the attitudes and expectations of Italians to- by Eurobarometer [3–5]. Unlike the Italian study, the Euro- wards robots are complex, multidimensional and contra- barometer research uses only the survey method. dictory: on the one hand, the interviewees positively value The Italian case seemed interesting for several rea- the growing presence of robots, on the other, they show sons. Over time, Italy has established a significant posi- fears about the spread of robotics in society. Robots, es- tion in the international robotics landscape; in 2018 Italy pecially those designed to interact with humans, are part ranked seventh worldwide after China, Japan, the United of a large system influenced by social, cultural and envi- States, Korea, Germany and Taiwan for the supply of in- ronmental factors in which actors move with different ex- dustrial robots [6]. pectations and needs. The presence of a significant degree Between 2008 and 2018 the number of robots in Italian of differentiation between the responses of the different production plants increased by an average of 7.3% per year, socio-demographic categories confirms the importance of but it is in the most recent period that domestic demand investigating these issues, in order to reduce the distance has registered the greatest increase. In 2018 the number of that persists between researchers and scientists and the robots installed in factories increased by 11.5% compared impact of technology on society. Furthermore, robotics is to 2017. In the same year the production of robots grew often narrated with myths and legends that have no corre- by 28.7% compared to 2017; over 39% of robots were sold spondence in reality; since robots will interact more fully abroad [7]. with humans, the human-robot interaction process and Whereas Italy is the second European nation and the the bias integrated into the technology must be carefully fourth in the world in terms of robot density, from the point studied to avoid the risks of confirmatory bias. of view of the labor market it is among the nations with the highest rate of youth unemployment [8]. The results, illus- Keywords: artificial intelligence, assistive robots, attitude trated later on, show that it is precisely younger Italians towards robots, robot, roboethics, social interaction, so- who are most concerned about the impact of robotics on cial factors in robotics, survey the labor market. Service robotics is entering a new development phase and sustained global growth. Once the industrial segrega- *Corresponding Author: Stefania Operto: University of Genova, tion era was overcome, service robotics – of professional DISFOR, Department of Science of Education, Genova, 16100, Italy; and personal applications – have been employed in grow- E-mail: [email protected] Open Access. © 2019 Stefania Operto, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution alone 4.0 License. Evaluating public opinion towards robots: a mixed-method approach Ë 287 ing applications. According to the IFR’s World Robotics Re- robotics, in particular the humanoid one, a frame [15, 16] port 2018 [9], professional robots have already had a sig- has developed with sensationalistic contours; humanoid nificant impact in areas such as agriculture, surgery and robotics, due to the analogies with the concept of hu- medical applications, logistics, and public relations. Fur- manity itself, favors the generation of a complex concep- thermore, robots will play an even greater role in the main- tual structure. The same word does not only indicate the tenance, security and rescue fields. machine but brings together very different domains: law, In 2015-2017, personal and domestic robots were mar- economy, work, quality of life, well-being of the commu- keted in growing numbers, even though in a limited num- nity, ethics, philosophy and religion [17]. ber of products: these are floor cleaning robots, domes- The frame around robotics is expressed by feeding op- tic window cleaning, pool cleaning, robot-mowers, sports posing fronts synthesized in two orientations: on the one robots and robots for edutainment and telepresence. In hand, enthusiasm and willingness to spread robotics in addition, progress in the fields of Human-Robot Interac- society and, on the other, opposition and adversity often tion and Physical-Human-Robot Interaction suggests that associated with the support of policies of limitation. These within a few years the market will be offering assistive two opposing attitudes, strengthened by the widespread robots with the ability to interact with the elderly, with pa- use of negation to support each other’s positions, denying tients, people in rehabilitation, children and even people on a case-by-case basis either the advantages or the risks with various disabilities. of the spread of robots reinforce the frame itself [18], con- Indeed, the request for social assistive robots in Eu- tributing at the same time to spreading false information. rope derives both from the growth of the elderly popu- This mechanism is particularly relevant in Europe, lation and from the confirmation that social robots can where the public perception of robots is influenced by have a significant impact on the improvement of daily misconceptions about robotics and by a generalized fear habits and lifestyles such as, among others, the manage- about the applications of science and technology [19]. ment of diets, sports, medical treatments, communication Robotics has not yet dropped its fiction frame of refer- between people, and the fruition of individual cultural ence so often robotic researchers and producers are un- needs [10, 11]. Today, some smart and programmable ob- able to communicate effectively with the public. The often- jects (IoT, Internet of Things) of common use are available sensational media coverage also encourages false illu- on the market such as Smart Irrigation Controllers, WIFI sions about robots’ effective performance. Lighting, Wireless Smart Vents, and Smart Thermostats. Finally, improving the understanding of public opin- During the last decade, the pervasiveness of these ion about robots is key for researchers and research institu- technologies and their growing importance in our daily tions, for manufacturing industries and for end users [11]. lives have motivated researchers in Europe, in the USA In view of the fact that, among European citizens, the per- and Japan to study the impact, perception and acceptance sonal experience of robots is still rather limited [3–5], ef- of robotics in our society. Initially limited to technical- fective research must take into account a complex of fac- specialist fields, the analyses were subsequently extended tors, including the presence of stereotypes, myths, illu- to include psychology, sociology, ethics, philosophy and sions, real needs and fears concerning robots. law. Many of these studies have also shown negative at- titudes of fear and resistance towards robots [12, 13], re- vealing significant differences between different popula- 2 Studies about the perception of tion categories [14]. The results of Italian research also show that attitudes robots in Europe and expectations towards robots are complex, multidi- mensional, and associated with a certain degree of contra- Research funded by the European Commission (EC) has diction and ambivalence. On one hand, respondents ex- analyzed the attitudes of European citizens towards robots pressed a positive attitude about the beneficial effects of with three quantitative surveys carried out in 2012 [3], robots, but this perception is combined with fears about 2014 [4] and 2017 [5] by Eurobarometer, the research pro- the growing importance of robotics in everyday life. gram which has been analyzing public opinion trends In designing the research conducted in Italy, the au- since 1973. These surveys examine many aspects of this is- thor took into account the fact that the public percep- sue: the impact of digital technologies on society, the econ- tion of robots is often influenced by collective images and omy and quality of life, citizen’s self-reported level of skills constructs, full of symbolic meanings, deriving from lit- in making use of digital technologies at work, for learn- erature, films and mythical stories. Around the theme of ing, and in using online public services, the use of robots 288 Ë Stefania Operto at home or at work, attitudes towards robots and artificial (35%).