Blog Post

AEIdeas

Policymakers know that advancing technology and automation will present challenges and opportunities for them. But how do Americans feel about it, particularly as it relates to their jobs?

To start, Americans are extremely high on US science and technology. When Pew asked people to name the greatest US achievement of the 20th century, scientific and technological accomplishments topped the list, followed by medical advances.

In AEI’s most recent annual survey of polls on attitudes toward work, we examined historical public opinion data on concerns about automation and jobs. In the abstract, Americans worry about advancing technology replacing workers. In a 1982 Opinion Research Corporation poll, 68% said they would resist the idea of the increased use of automation in their work places, and 54% thought employment would decrease in the long run if companies increased their use of robots and automated work procedures. In a 2016 Pew poll, half thought automation of jobs and new technology had done more to hurt than help American workers, 42% said it had done more to help.

But when people were asked about their own jobs, the results were different. Most people didn’t feel threatened. In a 1982 Public Agenda poll, 51% thought technology could change the nature of their job, but not eliminate it in the next five or 10 years. Only 8% said it could eliminate their job. In a 2017 Gallup survey, 13% said it was very or somewhat likely that their job would be eliminated within the next five years as a result of new technology, automation, robots, or artificial intelligence. Slightly more than a quarter (26%) thought it likely this would happen in the next 20 years. A separate 2017 Gallup question found that 13% were worried their job would become obsolete or unnecessary in the near future because of technology. 87% were not worried.

It is natural for Americans to express concern about challenges they think their fellow workers might face. But they remain optimistic about their own futures in a rapidly changing world. See the September issue of AEI’s Political Report for more information on the views of American workers on various aspects of their jobs.