Poll: The older and richer you are, the more you like AI
Optimism for AI increases with age and wealth, with young adults the most pessimistic, polling shared with POLITICO shows. LONDON โ Increasing age and financial security correspond to increasing positivity towards AI and what it can bring, according new polling from Public First shared with POLITICO. The least positive age group are 18 to 24-year-olds who are concerned about the technologyโs impact on their own thinking skills and career progression.
Although the heaviest users of the tech, more than a third of 18-24s worry that AI will make critical thinking harder, and exactly a third think developing career-relevant expertise will become more difficult, finds the polling . The age group was the most pessimistic across all career-related issues, spanning independent problem solving and learning from mentors. Compare the young adults to the 35 to 44-year olds, who use the tech as heavily as their younger counterparts, and a divergence is clear: only 19 percent of 18-24s think AI will improve both their own opportunities and society, whereas 28 percent of the older group does.
The AI tools available are the same, but the older group already have career experience and expertise. The results do not prove that financial insecurity causes pessimism, note the study authors, but highlight that as young adults are entering the jobs market without the financial and professional security of older groups, their concerns around AI sit on top of their existing uncertainties. This trend tracks into the future with similar results on questions around how AI affects peopleโs personal economic optimism.
โก Effects Interpreter
๐World Economy
- โถCross-border money flows can gradually change direction after events like this.
- โถThe wider trading system tends to absorb shocks like this slowly.
๐๏ธLocal Economy
- โถJobs and trade close to home might feel a soft knock-on effect.
- โถYour weekly shop may get a touch dearer, or cheaper, over time.
๐ฆRates & Banks
- โถLenders often reserve big rate moves for clearer economic signals.
- โถThe cost of borrowing tends to shift gradually rather than in one leap.
โค๏ธHealth
- โถKeeping a normal routine usually helps steady the nerves during unsettling news.
- โถLocal health services might get busier depending on how things develop.
๐ทWealth
- โถShort-term wobbles like this tend to even out given enough time.
- โถLong-term savers usually ride out these modest bumps just fine.
๐ Housing
- โถHousing supply and demand rarely turn on a single piece of news.
- โถAnyone selling soon might want a fresh valuation once the dust settles.