Meyer-Waarden, Lars, Cloarec, Julien and Salgado, Stéphane (2026) Sustainable last-mile delivery: Understanding perceived benefits and risks of AI-automated delivery drones in France. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 226. p. 124576.

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Abstract

This study investigates the adoption of delivery drones in last-mile logistics by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) with constructs related to well-being, perceived technology risk, privacy concerns, and environmental concerns. Drawing on a 2x2x2 experimental design involving 3212 French participants, we examine how physical accidents, cyberattacks, product criticality, and environmental values shape consumers' performance expectancy, social influence, risk perception, and behavioral intentions. The findings show that environmental concerns enhance the positive impact of performance expectancy and social influence on well-being, while unexpectedly reducing the negative effect of privacy concerns. Product criticality significantly weakens the relationship between well-being and adoption intention. This paper contributes theoretically by integrating sustainability and perceived risk theory into UTAUT2, thereby advancing understanding of how consumers evaluate novel autonomous technologies under conditions of uncertainty and ecological awareness.