Vanderbilt poll finds bipartisan support for AI regulations
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Americans across the political divide favor regulating technology companies as AI continues to emerge as a major force, according to a new poll from Vanderbilt University.
Why it matters: Artificial intelligence is infiltrating countless aspects of daily life, from the workplace to the supermarket. Many Americans are uneasy about it.
By the numbers: A Vanderbilt Unity Poll released Thursday found 61% of Republicans and 56% of Democrats nationwide favor regulating AI.
- There was agreement across age ranges, with 56% of respondents 18-29 years old supporting regulation as well as 58% of those 65 and older.
- About 37% said they were worried about job security due to AI. Young people were much more worried than retirement-age respondents.
The big picture: The Vanderbilt Unity Poll found a broad sense of pessimism nationally — 66% of respondents said the country is on the wrong track, while 56% said they believe that the country's "best days are behind us."
- Negative views of the nation are especially potent among younger respondents, per the poll results.
- The poll found 63% of adults rated the U.S. economy as "fairly bad" or "very bad."
The bottom line: "The poll makes clear that this widespread anxiety isn't a partisan issue," John Geer, the poll's co-director, said in a statement.
- "Foundational economic problems facing average citizens are not being solved, and the subsequent disillusionment is reflected in these numbers."
How it works: The latest Vanderbilt Unity Poll was conducted Feb. 20-23. and included 1,032 U.S. adults. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points.