Few would dispute that rapid technological change has transformed Americans' way of life over the past few decades. However, the impact of technology on various sectors of society has not been uniform, nor has it always been positive or negative. A recent YouGov poll found that Americans are particularly likely to notice major technological shifts in the areas of communications, media and entertainment. While changes brought about by technology are more likely to be viewed positively than negatively, there are some sectors – such as media and politics – where technology is more often seen as harmful than helpful. Regarding Americans' specific concerns about the future of technology, we find that a large majority is at least somewhat concerned about its impact on elections, the spread of misinformation, and the loss of privacy.
How has technology changed the way other industries work?
The survey asked Americans to rate the extent to which the technology industry has changed the way 10 sectors operate. At least two-thirds of people say that technology has changed – either greatly or somewhat – the way every sector does business. The proportion who say the impact of technology has been “great” ranges across sectors from more than half to about a third. The biggest impacts are seen in communications (58% say “a great deal”), media (58%), and entertainment (49%).
Has technological change been good or bad for each sector? For eight of the 10 sectors asked, more Americans say the technology industry has had positive impacts than say it has had more negative impacts. The two exceptions are politics and media: only 21% say the tech industry has had a positive impact on politics, and 33% say that about the media. About half of Americans say health care (52%) or communications (51%) have been affected very or somewhat favorably.
What worries Americans about the future of technology?
The poll also asked whether Americans were concerned about 20 issues related to the US technology industry. (Each participant was asked about a randomly selected sample of 15 out of 20.) A majority of Americans say they are at least “somewhat concerned” about each of the 20 issues — although some issues are more likely to be viewed as “very” about. The biggest stocks say they are very concerned about the use of technology to influence elections and the spread of misinformation through social media. About half are also very concerned about privacy in general, and about the same number are very concerned about the lack of regulation around data collection and use. Large numbers are also at least somewhat concerned about the impact of technology on children's development, and the possibility that more people, in general, will become addicted to technology. The issues surveyed that Americans were least concerned about were the effects of technology on income inequality and on the environment — but more than half are at least somewhat concerned about both.
—Karl Bialik and Lynley Sanders contributed to this article
See the results of this YouGov poll
methodology: This survey was conducted online January 24-27, 2023 among 1,000 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov's opt-in panel using matching sampling. A random sample (stratified by sex, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was drawn from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted for sex, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout rate, presidential voting, primary party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Primary party identification is the most recent answer given by a respondent before March 15, 2022, and is weighted for the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 28% Republican). The margin of error in the total sample is about 4%.
Image: Adobe Stock (Pira)
