Public Perception Scale for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Scale Development Study

The present study developed a valid and reliable scale to assess public perception towards unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The research population consisted of individuals aged 18 and above living in Turkey, and the study was conducted with 400 participants (n = 400). The items were designed using a five-point Likert-type scale to reflect participants’ opinions in detail. The item pool, created through a literature review, was submitted to the opinions of field experts and tested through a pilot application. The construct validity of the scale was explored using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the applicability of factor analysis was confirmed by the KMO and Bartlett’s tests. The obtained factor structure was further examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), supporting structural validity. Item factor loadings provided evidence for the scale’s structural validity, while the reliability of the instrument was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The study’s findings indicate that the UAV-PPS (Public Perception Scale towards Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), consisting of 25 items and a six-factor structure, demonstrates strong evidence of validity and reliability. Accordingly, the scale offers a comprehensive and structured tool for assessing public perception towards UAVs and can serve as a valuable reference for future academic and applied research.