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A survey of 17 advanced economies highlights the complexity of America’s international image. People in other publics find much to admire about the U.S., but they see many problems as well. The most positive elements of America’s image are tied to some of its most famous exports, with the U.S. receiving considerable praise for its technology, popular culture and military strength. However, American living standards and the U.S. health care system receive mixed to poor reviews.
Amid rising concerns over misinformation online – including surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, especially vaccines – Americans are now a bit more open to the idea of the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online. And a majority of the public continues to favor technology companies taking such action, according to a new survey.
Roughly half of U.S. adults (48%) now say the government should take steps to restrict false information, even if it means losing some freedom to access and publish content, according to the survey of 11,178 adults conducted July 26-Aug. 8, 2021. That is up from 39% in 2018. At the same time, the share of adults who say freedom of information should be protected – even if it means some misinformation is published online – has decreased from 58% to 50%.
About half of Americans (47%) say major tech companies should be regulated by the government more than they are now. Another 39% say these companies should be regulated the same as they are now, while just 11% say these firms should be regulated less, according to a survey conducted in June 2020. Though the public’s overall views have remained largely unchanged since the question was last asked in May and June of 2018, there have been shifts by party and ideology. For instance, similar shares of Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP (48%) and Democrats and their leaners (46%) now agree that major technology companies should face more regulation by the government, a change caused in part by rising support among conservative Republicans.
Majorities of U.S. adults believe their personal data is less secure now, that data collection poses more risks than benefits, and that it is not possible to go through daily life without being tracked.
A majority of Americans believe their online and offline activities are being tracked and monitored by companies and the government with some regularity. It is such a common condition of modern life that roughly six-in-ten U.S. adults say they do not think it is possible to go through daily life without having data collected about them by companies or the government.
Millennials have often led older Americans in their adoption and use of technology, and this largely holds true today. But there has been significant growth in tech adoption since 2012 among older generations – particularly Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.
A challenging aspect of designing opinion surveys in countries with different cultures and languages is making sure we understand what people are thinking about the subject we’re studying, in their own words. So when we began our recent study of mobile phone and social media use in 11 emerging economies, we started by conducting focus groups with diverse participants in four of the countries studied: Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines and Tunisia.
Algorithms are all around us, utilizing massive stores of data and complex analytics to make decisions with often significant impacts on humans. Despite the growing presence of algorithms in daily life, Americans express broad concerns over the fairness and effectiveness of computer programs making important decisions.
The use of digital technology has had a long stretch of rapid growth in the United States, but the share of Americans who go online, use social media or own key devices has remained stable the past two years.
The shares of U.S. adults who say they use the internet, use social media, own a smartphone or own a tablet computer are all nearly identical to the shares who said so in 2016. The share who say they have broadband internet service at home currently stands at 65% – nearly identical to the 67% who said this in a survey conducted in summer 2015. And when it comes to desktop or laptop ownership, there has actually been a small dip in the overall numbers over the last two years – from 78% in 2016 to 73% today.
A contributing factor behind this slowing growth is that parts of the population have reached near-saturation levels of adoption of some technologies. Put simply, in some instances there just aren’t many non-users left. For example, nine-in-ten or more adults younger than 50 say they go online or own a smartphone. And a similar share of those in higher-income households have laptops or desktops.
Average citizens around the world see a technological revolution coming in the workplace, and they are concerned. Many fear robots and computers will eliminate jobs and increase inequality.
The belief that in the next 50 years robots and computers will definitely or probably do much of the work currently done by humans is widespread in the nations surveyed. This view is especially common in Greece, the only nation where more than half of those polled believe this will definitely happen, although many in South Africa (45%) and Argentina (40%) also share this opinion. Americans are somewhat less likely than others to think that robots will replace human jobs in the next half-century.
Publics are generally more worried than hopeful about the prospect that robots and computers may one day be able to do much of the work done by humans today. Their greatest concern is that automation will make it harder for ordinary people to find jobs. More than eight-in-ten adults in Greece, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Canada voice such worries, and more than seven-in-ten in Hungary, Poland, Italy and Japan agree.
While many technology experts and scholars have concerns about the social, political and economic fallout from the spread of digital activities, they also tend to report that their own experience of digital life has been positive.
A majority of Republicans say tech firms support the views of liberals over conservatives and that social media platforms censor political views. Still, Americans say these firms benefit them and – to a lesser degree – society.
Most Americans express confidence that private space companies will make meaningful contributions in developing safe and reliable spacecraft or conducting research to expand knowledge of space.
A large majority of Americans (81%) are confident that private space companies will make a profit from these ventures. But Americans are also cautiously optimistic that private companies will make contributions that benefit U.S. exploration efforts.
Millennials have often led older Americans in their adoption and use of technology, and this largely holds true today. But there has also been significant growth in tech adoption in recent years among older generations – particularly Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.
Just 31% of Americans say it would be very hard to give up their TV, down 13 percentage points from 2006. The shares of cellphone owners and internet users who say it would be very hard to give up their cellphone or the internet, respectively, have both risen.
