I suspect that, in general, Horizon's clientèle are familiar and comfortable with riding on turboprops. The vast majority of their fleet has been props for quite sometime. And the Q400 isn't exactly "your father's turboprop."

I've ridden on Horizon Q's numerous times and never heard the "dangerous little propeller plane" comment from one of their customers. I think the general public (outside of Horizon's customer base) will warm up to these new airplanes, provided a good safety record is maintained and the press highlights the benefits of them.