Pew: For the First Time, Most Americans Under 30 Are More Worried Than Excited About AI

Young adults in the United States have flipped on artificial intelligence. For the first time since Pew Research Center began asking the question in 2021, a majority of Americans under 30 — 55% — now say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life, according to a survey published Tuesday. The finding marks a significant shift in public sentiment and adds to a growing body of evidence on generational anxiety, as tracked by AI Buzz Wire in recent months.

The report, authored by Colleen McClain and Eugenie Park, is based on a survey of 3,488 U.S. adults conducted June 22–28, 2026, drawn from Pew's American Trends Panel. It represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

The Numbers Behind the Shift

Overall, 52% of Americans say they are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life, up from 37% in 2021. Only 9% are more excited than concerned, while 37% report feeling both equally.

But the story is in the age breakdown. Concern among adults 18–29 has climbed steadily — from 31% in 2021 to 42% in 2023, 47% in 2025, and now 55% in 2026. That is an eight-point jump in the past year alone, the largest single-year increase of any age group in the 2026 wave. For Americans 30 and older, by contrast, concern rose mainly in the survey's first two years and has since plateaued or drifted downward — including a decline among adults 50–64, from 56% in 2025 to 47% in 2026.

Young adults' concern is now on par with those in their 30s and 40s (51%) and those 65 and older (59%). Excitement, meanwhile, has dropped across every age group since 2021. Among adults under 30, just 11% now say they are more excited than concerned about AI, down from 25% five years ago.

Forbes, covering the findings, framed it bluntly: for the first time, Americans under 30 are more scared of AI than excited by it.

Job Loss Drives the Anxiety

The dominant concern is employment. In the new survey, 71% of U.S. adults say they think AI will lead to fewer jobs in the United States over the next 20 years, up from 64% in 2024. Only 5% expect AI to create more jobs, while one-in-ten say it will not make much difference.

Job loss has been one of the top reasons behind Americans' concern about AI since Pew first asked in 2021, and the expectation of AI-driven unemployment has intensified across age groups in the past two years.

The pessimism comes despite persistent messaging from AI industry leaders that the technology will augment workers rather than replace them. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly argued that AI won't kill jobs — a claim that has drawn pushback from labor economists and, increasingly, from the young workers themselves.

A Generational Reversal

The findings represent a remarkable reversal. Earlier in the decade, younger Americans were consistently the most AI-optimistic age group — natural early adopters of chatbots, image generators, and AI-assisted coding tools. Older adults were the skeptics.

That gap has now closed. Adults 65 and older remain the most concerned group at 59%, but the under-30 cohort has effectively converged with every other age bracket. The change suggests that living alongside AI — rather than merely hearing about it — has reshaped how young people weigh the technology's benefits against its risks.

The Pew results align with other recent polling on generational attitudes. A separate CNBC/Generation Labs survey reported this month found young Americans increasingly distrustful of AI industry executives, and Axios concluded that young adults are losing faith in AI's upside overall.

Why It Matters

Public sentiment can shape policy, hiring, and product decisions. Growing anxiety among the demographic most likely to use AI tools daily creates a complicated environment for companies marketing AI products to young consumers — and for universities preparing students for an AI-saturated labor market.

It also raises stakes for policymakers debating AI workforce programs, retraining funds, and safety regulation. With 71% of Americans now expecting AI to shrink the job pool over two decades, pressure is building for concrete answers on displacement and transition support, not just reassurance.

How Pew Conducted the Survey

The analysis is part of Pew's ongoing research program on how Americans feel about AI, what they think it will do to jobs, and how views differ by age. The center surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Everyone who took part is a member of Pew's American Trends Panel, and the results are weighted to represent the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Pew published the survey questions, the topline results, and the full methodology alongside the report, allowing outside researchers and journalists to examine the exact wording behind each figure — a level of transparency that has made the center's AI tracking series a frequently cited reference point in policy debates.

The trend line is unambiguous: in 2021, Americans were roughly evenly split, with 45% saying they felt equally concerned and excited and 37% more concerned. Five years later, concern dominates every age bracket, and the group once most enthusiastic about AI has joined the majority.

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