Pew Research Center · September 17, 2026 · On the brief until October 1, 2026

Globally, More People Expect AI to Cause Job Loss Than Growth

SociologyEconomicsPublic Policy

THE AI ANGLE

Driving public expectations of net job displacement and widening economic inequality

A 37-country survey by the Pew Research Center reveals that in 34 nations, majorities expect artificial intelligence to cause net job losses and widen economic inequality over the next 20 years, with concerns highest in wealthier countries. Apprehension is rising sharply among younger adults aged 18 to 34 and left-leaning respondents, while large shares of citizens in middle-income countries remain uncertain about its labor impacts. For social science and policy educators, this data highlights how public anxiety over technological displacement is deeply stratified by national GDP, age cohorts, and political ideology.

Summary written by AI Business Lens with an AI model from the article at pewresearch.org. It is not the article, and the publisher has not reviewed it. For publishers.

THE TEACHING ANGLE

Students can examine why citizens in wealthier nations and younger demographics express the greatest apprehension regarding AI-driven job loss and wealth inequality compared to their older or middle-income counterparts.

Read the original at pewresearch.org Generate teaching or study materials

Instructors get discussion guides, assignments, and mini-cases. Students and readers get a plain summary, class prep, and an exercise. All built from the full article. Three are free with an account. Stories stay on the brief for 14 days; after that this page keeps the link to the original.

Globally, More People Expect AI to Cause Job Loss Than Growth

More in Sociology