Public Perceptions: Drones

Drones are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in the UK.

They play a growing role in commercial activities as well supporting services such as speeding up the delivery of urgent medical supplies, or carrying out inspections on North Sea oil and gas platforms.

They are capable of going into hostile or inaccessible environments for search and rescue or research. Drones have been widely used to relay scientific data and for photography, for academic research as well as for other uses such as gathering content for the media.

To deliver on the huge promise of drones, much will depend on building consumer confidence both in how the unmanned aircraft are used and also the regulations governing their operation.

Survey Findings

The main findings from our poll included:

• Three quarters of adults support the use of drones for emergency services response
• Only a quarter of adults are in favour of the use of drones for recreation (24%)
• Support for the delivery of online orders by drone is similar (23%) with people citing worries about privacy and theft of deliveries
• Support for the use of drones is higher among young people
• Four out of ten people under 25 are in favour of the recreational use of drones (41%) and say they would feel comfortable about receiving a delivery by drone (45%)
• This compares to less than 20% of people over 65 saying they are comfortable with either idea
• Three quarters (73%) of adults say communities should be consulted about drone deliveries in their area
• Over 80% of people say the government should put regulations in place for deliveries by drone

Related links

Download a copy of the report here.