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The study, published in the journal Community, Work and Family, assesses people's attitudes towards having robots caring for oneself, providing services and companionship, when one is infirm or elderly. The study draws on data from 28 European countries, factoring in local determinants such as GDP, women’s labour force participation rates, and spending on elderly care.
The lead author, Professor Ekaterina Hertog, Associate Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute & the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford explains: “In our study we investigate three key questions: Are women more comfortable than men with being cared for by robots in their old age? Are those with greater time pressures and higher opportunity costs more supportive of receiving care from technology? And do macro-level factors inform individual attitudes to robotic care?”
The researchers find that individuals differ substantially in how comfortable they are with using technology to fulfil their care needs, with local context and personal factors shaping attitudes towards being cared for by robots.
Key findings of the study:
- Overall, people are not very enthusiastic about being cared for by robots.
- European men are more open to adopting robotic technologies for their own care than women when they get infirm or elderly.
- More educated men and women are more supportive of using robots for their own care.
- People working in professional, managerial or white-collar jobs are more supportive of using robots for their own care than those in non-professional occupations.
- Younger people and those with experience of using robots in work or domestic contexts are more open to using them in the future to help with their own care.
- Those living in local communities with higher levels of female employment and low levels of spending on adult care more likely to accept robots as part of their care package in old age.