Patterns in the poll data

There are some patterns in the general public survey data that are worth noting. Those with higher levels of education – a college degree or more – are more likely than those with a high school education or less to say the effects of AI will be more negative than positive. Some areas where that shows up: concerns about people’s privacy, politics and elections, colleges and universities, wealth inequalities and the level of civility in society.

The chart depicts results of an Elon University poll that surveyed U.S. adults about their perception of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) by the year 2040. The survey focused on whether people believed the impact of AI would be more negative than positive in various aspects of life. The poll results revealed that a higher percentage of respondents with college degrees, compared to those with a high school diploma or less, anticipated a negative impact of AI. Here’s a breakdown of the findings: Personal lives: 72% of college graduates and 57% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Privacy: 47% of college graduates and 41% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Relationships: 33% of college graduates and 26% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Access to information: 38% of college graduates and 30% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Politics and elections: 59% of college graduates and 40% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Civility in society: 41% of college graduates and 31% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Education (primary and secondary schools): 41% of college graduates and 34% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Wealth inequality: 36% of college graduates and 26% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Higher education (colleges and universities): 36% of college graduates and 26% of high school graduates or less expect a negative impact. Overall, the poll suggests a trend where individuals with higher education are more likely to perceive a potential negative influence of AI on various aspects of life compared to those with lower education levels.

Those with higher levels of education are considerably more upbeat about the impact of AI on people’s day-to-day work activities. Some 46% of those with college degrees say the effect of AI will be more positive than negative on people’s day-to-day work tasks, while 21% of those with high school or less education think so. 

Women and men at times have different views about the impact and outcomes of the technology. For instance, women are more pessimistic than men when it comes to the effect of AI on people’s opportunities for employment and on their overall physical and mental health. Men are somewhat more doubtful about the impact of AI on people’s leisure time.

There are also some differences by race and ethnicity. White Americans are generally more likely than Black Americans to say the impact of AI will be more negative than positive. That includes their views on the influence of AI when it comes to privacy, access to accurate information, the level of civility in society and politics and elections. The views of Hispanic Americans on these issues usually sit between Black Americans and White Americans. (There were not enough Asian Americans in the sample to do a statistically reliable analysis. At the same time, the views of Asian American adults were included in the overall sample.) On many of these issues, Black Americans and women were particularly likely to say they were not sure what the impact of AI would be on various aspects of life.