Youth poll: Thumbs down on everything
Data: Generation Lab; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios More than a quarter of younger Americans (27%) believe they or someone they know has lost a job because their employer replaced them with AI, according to a new Axios-Generation Lab poll of 18- to 34-year-olds. Why it matters: Research suggests the actual share of job losses from AI is smaller. But the survey reflects the suspicion, mistrust and…
A new poll by Axios and Generation Lab reveals a predominantly negative outlook among young Americans aged 18 to 34. Over a quarter of respondents believe they or someone they know has lost a job due to AI replacing workers. While research suggests the actual job loss figure may be smaller, this sentiment reflects the skepticism and pessimism young people feel towards the technology.
When asked which political party they trust to lower living costs, neither Democrats (26%) nor Republicans (22%) received the top vote. Cyrus Beschloss, CEO of Generation Lab, noted that young people are "thumbs-down" on multiple fronts, including the president's performance, the economy, and both political parties. Despite concerns over AI stealing jobs, 71% of respondents reported feeling as comfortable or more comfortable with the technology as they were a year ago.
However, 61% have used ChatGPT, 48% Gemini, and 20% Claude in the past month. Concerns about the cost of living are widespread, with 96% of respondents worried about rent, groceries, gas, or utilities. Even those who acknowledge AI's disruption are still grappling with economic uncertainty, with 48% rating the national economy as poor and 35% believing it would be very difficult to find a job today.
Home ownership remains a top goal for many, but only half expect to own a home within a decade, and 28% find it very unlikely. The upcoming 2028 presidential election appears to be influenced by name recognition, with former Vice President Kamala Harris leading the pack among Democratic candidates, followed by Michelle Obama and AOC.
Among Republicans, Vice President JD Vance leads, followed by Donald Trump Jr. and Marco Rubio. The poll's findings align with a November survey showing that 68% of young Americans view socialism positively or neutrally, with only 40% positively viewing capitalism. Negative views of capitalism outnumber those of socialism by more than 2 to 1.
Beschloss attributed this to young people's desire for a radical change and a way to give power to the working class, rather than a deep understanding of economic theories.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
