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Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest growing and most disruptive technologies in the world today. Because it has the potential to drastically impact society, it’s important to measure how people are feeling towards it.
This infographic visualizes survey data from market research firm, Ipsos, to see how attitudes towards AI varies by country. By including each country’s GDP per capita, we can see that wealthier populations are more skeptical about products and services that use the technology.
Data and Methodology
This data is based on a 28-country survey of 19,504 adults aged 18 to 74. Polling took place between November and December 2021, and the results were published in January 2022.
This survey took place before the recent explosion in popularity of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney, but forms the foundation for how people view this rapidly improving technology.
The table below lists the percentage of respondents who agreed with the following statement:
“Products and services using artificial intelligence have more benefits than drawbacks”
Country
% Agreeing With Statement
GDP per capita
China
78%
$12,556
Saudi Arabia
76%
$23,186
India
71%
$2,257
Peru
70%
$6,622
Malaysia
65%
$11,109
Mexico
65%
$10,046
Colombia
64%
$6,104
Chile
63%
$16,265
South Korea
62%
$34,998
Türkiye
60%
$9,661
Brazil
57%
$7,507
South Africa
57%
$7,055
Argentina
55%
$10,636
Russia
53%
$12,195
Spain
53%
$30,104
Italy
50%
$35,658
Hungary
49%
$18,728
Poland
48%
$18,000
Japan
42%
$39,313
Sweden
40%
$61,029
Belgium
38%
$51,247
UK
38%
$46,510
Australia
37%
$60,443
Germany
37%
$51,203
United States
35%
$70,249
Netherlands
33%
$57,768
Canada
32%
$51,988
France
31%
$43,659
GDP per capita as of 2021. Source: World Bank
Ipsos notes that their samples from developing economies like China and India were “more urban, more educated, and more affluent than the general population”. Thus, the results for these countries likely reflect the more tech-savvy segments of their population.
Further Survey Results
Respondents were asked additional questions about AI, which we’ve included in the tables below. Let’s start with this statement:
“Products and services using artificial intelligence make my life easier”
Country
% Agreeing With Statement
GDP per capita
China
87%
$12,556
Saudi Arabia
80%
$23,186
Peru
74%
$6,622
South Korea
74%
$34,998
Mexico
73%
$10,046
India
72%
$2,257
Colombia
71%
$6,104
Malaysia
71%
$11,109
Türkiye
71%
$9,661
Chile
70%
$16,265
South Africa
67%
$7,055
Brazil
65%
$7,507
Russia
64%
$12,195
Argentina
59%
$10,636
Spain
59%
$30,104
Poland
58%
$18,000
Italy
54%
$35,658
Japan
52%
$39,313
Hungary
50%
$18,728
Belgium
49%
$51,247
Netherlands
47%
$57,768
Australia
46%
$60,443
Sweden
46%
$61,029
Germany
45%
$51,203
UK
45%
$46,510
Canada
44%
$51,988
United States
41%
$70,249
France
39%
$43,659
As expected, we see a similar trend as in the previous question’s results. It seems that developing countries are embracing AI to greater lengths.
Next, we’ll look at a more forward-looking statement:
“Products and services using AI will profoundly change my daily life in the next 3-5 years”.
Country
% Agreeing With Statement
GDP per capita
China
80%
$12,556
Saudi Arabia
80%
$23,186
South Korea
76%
$34,998
India
74%
$2,257
Türkiye
73%
$9,661
South Africa
72%
$7,055
Malaysia
71%
$11,109
Peru
71%
$6,622
Chile
67%
$16,265
Colombia
65%
$6,104
Mexico
65%
$10,046
Brazil
61%
$7,507
Argentina
60%
$10,636
Russia
60%
$12,195
Poland
56%
$18,000
Spain
56%
$30,104
Hungary
55%
$18,728
Italy
53%
$35,658
Japan
53%
$39,313
Netherlands
53%
$57,768
Belgium
52%
$51,247
Australia
50%
$60,443
Sweden
50%
$61,029
UK
46%
$46,510
United States
46%
$70,249
France
45%
$43,659
Canada
44%
$51,988
Germany
44%
$51,203
Once again, populations from wealthier countries are at the lower end of the results. This could be due to societal factors (differing attitudes towards technology), economic structure, or some combination of both.
To elaborate on economic structure, let’s look at the world’s two biggest economies, the U.S. and China. The following table shows the distribution of each country’s workforce across the three major sectors.
Economic Sector
U.S.
China
Agriculture
1%
25%
Industry
20%
28%
Services
79%
47%
As of 2019. Source: Statista
Developing economies such as China have a larger proportion of agricultural and industrial employment, while advanced economies like the U.S. are typically more services oriented. Structural differences such as these could have an impact on how a population views AI.