Pew AI survey: under-30s more wary than excited

Pew Research AI survey: most under-30s now lean concerned

Pew Research Center released the Pew AI survey on August 18, 2026. Between June 22 and 28 it asked 3,488 U.S. adults, among other questions, whether the growing role of AI in everyday life leaves them more worried, more excited, or evenly split. Adults under 30 now pass the 50% mark on the worried side for the first time.

Under-30s: 55% more concerned than excited, 11% excited

Among adults under 30, 55% say they are more concerned than excited. Only about one in ten lean the other way, and roughly a third feel both at once. Their level of concern is now on par with that of people in their 30s and 40s, and of those 65 and older.

Across every age group, about half or more are more concerned than excited, and excitement has dropped since 2021 in all of them. For under-30s the excited share went from 25% to 11%, a fall of 14 points.

Pew AI survey results by age group, 2021 to 2026

The table follows the concerned share in each age group across six yearly readings. Under-30s went from 31% in 2021 to 55% in 2026, a gain of 24 points.

Share saying they are more concerned than excited about AI (%)

The table leaves out people who answered "equally concerned and excited" and people who did not answer, so each row does not add up to 100.

Year	18-29	30-49	50-64	65+
2021	31	34	41	43
2022	29	34	43	45
2023	42	48	59	61
2024	39	47	56	59
2025	47	48	52	56
2026	55	51	47	59

Under-30s dipped from 31 to 29 between 2021 and 2022, then added 26 points over four years to reach 55. Ages 50 to 64 moved the other way. They peaked at 59 in 2023 and sit at 47 in 2026, the lowest of the four groups.

The 2026 row reads 55, 51, 47 and 59 from youngest to oldest. Pew's own description is that for Americans 30 and older the rise came mainly in the first two years, while under-30s are still climbing.

Public opinion on AI: concern up from 37% to 52% since 2021

Public opinion on AI looks different once the age split is set aside. Across all adults, 52% are more concerned than excited, and the under-30 figure of 55% sits only slightly above that.

All adults: 52% more concerned than excited, up from 37%

In 2026, 52% of all U.S. adults say they are more concerned than excited, up from 37% in 2021. Another 37% feel both equally, and 9% lean excited, down from 18%. Most of the shift came in 2023, when the worried share jumped from 38% to 52%, and it has stayed near that level since.

U.S. adults: AI in daily life makes them feel ... (%)

People who did not answer are not shown.

Year	Worry leads	Both equally	Excitement leads
2021	37	45	18
2022	38	46	15
2023	52	36	10
2024	51	38	11
2025	50	38	10
2026	52	37	9

Most Americans now expect AI to mean fewer jobs

Job loss already ranked among the top reasons for concern in 2021. More Americans now expect AI to mean fewer jobs, and the survey measures that as an expectation, not as cuts that have already happened.

71% expect fewer U.S. jobs in 20 years, up from 64%

71% of adults now expect AI to leave the U.S. with fewer jobs over the next 20 years, up from 64% in 2024. Only 5% expect more jobs, the same share as two years ago. The group saying it will make little difference shrank from 14% to 10%, and the unsure group went from 16% to 14%.

U.S. adults' 20-year expectation for U.S. jobs because of AI (%)

Not shown: people who were unsure (16% in 2024, 14% in 2026) and people who gave no answer.

Year	Fewer jobs	Will not make much difference	More jobs
2024	64	14	5
2026	71	10	5

Under-30s moved furthest on AI job losses, 61% to 73%

Adults under 30 moved furthest, from 61% in 2024 to 73% in 2026, a rise of 12 points. Ages 30 to 49 rose 8 points, ages 50 to 64 rose 3, and those 65 and older rose 5. That leaves the youngest adults level with people aged 30 to 64, while a somewhat smaller majority of Americans 65 and older share the view.

Share saying AI will mean fewer U.S. jobs in 20 years (%)

Age	2024	2026
18-29	61	73
30-49	66	74
50-64	69	72
65+	58	63

Pew notes that worry about job loss has shown up across its AI research, among workers and even teenagers. Teenagers' use of chatbots is covered in ChatGPT for Teens: Age Prediction and Study Mode. Pew also says there is no shortage of expert debate, with some warning that AI threatens jobs and others arguing it creates them, and it does not pick a side.

American Trends Panel survey: feelings, not job counts

Every survey result above is a stated feeling or a prediction, so none of it counts jobs lost or shows how anyone uses AI. No wave of the survey can say whether the 71% will turn out to be right. The age tables are also partial: the concern-by-age table leaves out the "equally" group, and the jobs-by-age table leaves out everyone who said more jobs, no difference or not sure.

Pew's earlier work shows how under-30s differ in other ways. They are the group most likely to think AI will be bad for society and bad for them, and they largely expect it to make connection and creativity harder to come by. Most use chatbots, yet they are as likely to say these tools hurt their own creativity as to say they help.

Pew sampled 3,488 panel adults on AI, June 22 to 28, 2026

Pew drew its answers from 3,488 U.S. adults between June 22 and 28, 2026, all members of its American Trends Panel. Pew says the results represent the full U.S. adult population. The earlier-year readings in the tables come from earlier surveys that asked the same question, so only the 2026 readings are from this survey.

A figure from the Pew AI survey should carry the country, the dates and the panel. For example: "In Pew's American Trends Panel survey of U.S. adults, fielded June 22 to 28, 2026, 55% of those under 30 leaned toward concern over excitement about AI." Pew publishes the questions, the topline results and the methodology next to the analysis, and each chart has a "Download data as .csv" link for anyone who wants to check the series.