Installing docker doesn't require root.
"Rootless mode lets you run the Docker daemon and containers as a non-root user."
https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/rootless/
This is how docker is best installed on Linux, and there's a convenience script for it as well (https://get.docker.com/rootless). I am surprised that's not how people are using docker.
If it’s not default, most people won’t do it.