What the Pew Research AI survey found
Worry about AI has been rising in the U.S. for years, but not on the same schedule in every age group. For everyone 30 and over, most of the rise landed early, in the 2022-to-2023 jump. Under 30 the climb has carried on since. The 2026 wave is where it crosses a majority.
More concerned about AI than excited, 55% to 11%
Among adults under 30, 55% report more concern than excitement. Roughly one in ten go the other way, and about a third say they feel the two equally. That places the youngest adults level with people in their 30s and 40s, and level with the 65-and-over group.
No age band comes in under about half on the concerned side, and enthusiasm has fallen in every one of them since 2021.
"Concern about AI is up among younger and older Americans alike since we first asked this question in 2021. But while the rise was mainly in the first two years for Americans ages 30 and older, concern continues to climb for adults under 30 – whose skepticism of AI has made headlines in recent months."／"For the first time, a majority of adults under 30 (55%) now say they’re more concerned than excited about AI. About one-in-ten say they’re more excited than concerned, and roughly a third feel both equally. Their concern is now on par with those in their 30s and 40s, and those 65 and up."／"Across age groups, about half or more say they’re more concerned than excited about AI. Excitement, in turn, has dropped off since 2021 among all age groups." (body) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
The under-30 line keeps climbing
Lined up year by year, the under-30 curve stands out.
Share saying they are more concerned than excited about AI (%)
| 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 |
Between 2021 and 2022 the under-30 number actually slipped, 31% down to 29%. The 26 points it has gained since then all arrived in four years. The 50-to-64 band went the other way: 59% at its 2023 peak, 47% in 2026, now the least worried group in the survey. Worry no longer rises step by step with age the way it did in 2021.
Two conditions govern how to read that table. It excludes everyone who answered "equally concerned and excited" and everyone who did not answer, so it shows only the worried share of each group. Pew publishes the enthusiastic side from the same waves; for under-30s it ran from 25% in 2021 to 11% in 2026.
"% of U.S. adults who say the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life makes them feel …"／"Note: Those who said they were “equally concerned and excited” or did not answer are not shown."／"Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026." (chart notes for 'Young adults' worry over AI continues to climb, while their excitement has dropped off'; each cell of the table above appears in that chart) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
Why AI job loss expectations keep climbing
Jobs have been the constant in that worry. Job loss already ranked among the top reasons Americans gave in 2021, and the share holding that expectation has widened since 2024.
From 64% to 71% in two years
71% of adults now expect AI to mean fewer U.S. jobs over the next two decades, against 64% in 2024. The opposite view — that AI produces more jobs — is held by 5%. One in ten expect little change, and a slightly larger 14% are unsure.
"Even in 2021, job loss was one of the top reasons behind Americans’ concern about AI. Today, Americans largely – and increasingly – think AI-related job loss is on the horizon."／"In our new survey, 71% of adults think AI will lead to fewer jobs in the United States over the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024. Few (5%) say AI will lead to more jobs. One-in-ten say it won’t make much difference, and a slightly larger share are unsure."／"Note: Those who were not sure (16% in 2024 and 14% in 2026) or did not answer are not shown." (AI and jobs) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
Under-30s moved furthest, 61% to 73%
The steepest climb in job anxiety belongs to the youngest group again: 61% in 2024 to 73% in 2026, twelve points in two years. That puts them level with everyone between 30 and 64. The 65-and-over group sits lower, though a majority there holds the same expectation.
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 |
Whether AI destroys jobs or creates them is unsettled among the people who study it, and Pew says so directly rather than picking a side. Small teams now book revenue that used to take large ones. One Stripe Economics analysis finds solo businesses past $10M nearly tripled in two years, and that fits either conclusion depending on what you already believe.
"Across most age groups, it’s become more common for Americans to foresee job loss from AI. For example, 73% of adults under 30 now say AI will lead to fewer jobs, up from 61% two years ago."／"The youngest adults are now just as likely as those ages 30 to 64 to hold this view. Americans 65 and older are a bit less likely to think AI will lead to fewer jobs, though this is still the majority view among this age group."／"And there’s no shortage of expert debate – many warn AI is a threat to jobs , while others have argued it creates them ." (AI and jobs; each cell of the table above appears in the chart in that section) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
How young adults differ from everyone else
Concern is not confined to the young. Pew's point is narrower: its earlier work finds under-30s differ from other age groups in more than degree.
Bad for society, and bad for them
Adults under 30 are the group most likely to expect AI to be bad for society, and they extend that judgment to themselves. They largely think AI will make connection and creativity harder to find.
Their relationship with chatbots is the strange part. Most of them say they use chatbots. Asked whether those tools help or hurt their own creativity, they are as likely to say hurt as help. Widespread use and open suspicion, held at once. What that means for teenagers specifically runs through ChatGPT for Teens.
"Young adults aren’t the only ones concerned about AI’s increasing use in daily life, or about job loss. Still, our past work shows they stand out in other ways."／"Adults under 30 are most likely to think AI will be bad for society – and for them . They largely think it will make connection and creativity harder to come by . And though most say they use chatbots, they’re just as likely to say these tools hurt their own creativity as help it." (closing section) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
Cite the American Trends Panel, not just the number
The 2026 readings come from a U.S. survey fielded June 22-28, 2026, of 3,488 adults drawn from Pew's American Trends Panel, the standing panel Pew samples from repeatedly. The 2021-to-2025 series in the table and the 2024 job figures are earlier waves of the same questions, not values from this one wave. Quoting "55% of young people are worried about AI" without the country, the date, and the panel drops everything that makes the number checkable.
Pew publishes the underlying data as a CSV beneath each chart. Pulling that file and opening it as a table is the fastest way to check the age series yourself rather than trusting a summary.
"We surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population." (How did we do this?) — from Pew Research CenterView official source →
Expectation, not outcome
A majority of Americans under 30 — 55% — are now more concerned than excited about AI, up 24 points from 31% in 2021, while the enthusiastic share of that group shrank from 25% to 11%. Expecting fewer jobs is now the mainstream position at 71% of all adults and 73% of under-30s. The survey measures what people expect, not what happens. Pew reports the expert disagreement about AI and employment without resolving it, and no wave of this survey can tell you whether the 71% are right. It does settle one thing: the youngest adults, the ones who will spend the most working years alongside these tools, moved furthest toward worry — and most of them say they use chatbots anyway.
