Poll: 70% of Americans Are Concerned AI Will Take Their Jobs - And the Worry Is Concentrated Where You'd Expect
A new national poll released June 21, 2026 shows that nearly three in four Americans are worried about AI replacing their jobs, with concern running highest among lower-income workers, those without college degrees, and Democrats. The data arrives at a moment when AI-driven layoffs have become a documented, company-confirmed trend - not just a theoretical fear.
The Center Square's Voters' Voice Poll found 34% of registered voters reported feeling "somewhat concerned" that AI would do their jobs. The poll also found roughly 36% of Americans said they were "very concerned" about AI replacing them at work. About 17% of registered voters said they were "not too concerned" about AI replacing their jobs, and about 9% of voters said they were "not at all concerned." CNBC
The poll surveyed 2,485 registered voters from June 1 to June 4, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights.
Who Is Most Concerned
The breakdown by education, income, and politics tells a consistent story: the people most exposed to economic disruption from AI are the most worried about it.
Roughly 40% of respondents with a high school degree or less said they were "very concerned" about AI taking their jobs. About 36% of respondents with no college degree said the same. Overall, individuals with less education reported greater levels of concern about AI replacing their jobs. There also appeared to be a correlation between levels of concern and lower household income. Roughly 41% of individuals with a household income lower than $50,000 per year reported concerns about AI replacing them at work. CNBC
Across the political spectrum, Democrats appeared to be more concerned about AI's impact on the workforce compared to Republicans. About 41% of Democrat respondents said they were "very concerned" about AI taking over their jobs, compared to 31% of Republicans who said the same. About 32% of true Independents said they were concerned that AI would take over their jobs. CNBC
The gender gap is also notable. Overall, female respondents were more likely to be concerned about AI taking over their jobs, whereas 11% of males said they were "not at all concerned" about AI taking their jobs - the highest percentage response in that category. CNBC
Why These Numbers Matter
Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, put the finding in direct terms: "The lower education you have, the less kind of plugged in you are, the more concerned you are regarding it." He said AI companies need to focus on ways to educate people about impact, rather than simply scaling data centre facilities.
These concerns are not disconnected from reality. Earlier in June, Wix announced it was cutting 1,000 jobs - 20% of its workforce - and explicitly attributed the reductions to AI making development and design roles redundant. Microsoft terminated Claude Code licenses after per-engineer costs spiraled, with jobs being redirected rather than retained. Forrester found enterprises postponing 25% of planned AI spend as CFOs demanded proof of ROI. The anxiety captured in this poll reflects an accurate read of a labor market in transition.
From four years advising C-level executives on AI for business adoption, I have watched this dynamic play out inside organizations. The executives making AI investment decisions are rarely the same people whose jobs are being restructured by those decisions. That gap - between who decides and who absorbs the consequences - is exactly what this poll data is measuring.
The Policy Response Gap
What the poll also reveals is a communications and trust deficit. When 70% of Americans are worried about AI replacing their jobs, and companies are simultaneously announcing AI-driven layoffs, the political and business pressure for response grows. Canada's "AI for All" national strategy explicitly acknowledged that its 12% AI adoption rate and the workforce concerns around it required a government response. The US has no equivalent framework in place.
Noble's recommendation - educate people on AI's use as a tool, not a replacement - is the right instinct. For businesses deploying AI automation, it carries a direct practical implication: the companies managing this transition best are the ones being transparent with their workforces about what AI will and will not change, rather than letting anxiety fill the information vacuum.
Cut Through the Noise
What percentage of Americans are concerned AI will take their jobs?
The Center Square's Voters' Voice Poll, conducted June 1-4, 2026 with 2,485 registered voters, found approximately 70% of Americans are at least "somewhat concerned" that AI will replace their jobs. Specifically, 36% said they were "very concerned" and 34% said they were "somewhat concerned." Only 9% said they were "not at all concerned."
Which Americans are most worried about AI job displacement?
Workers with lower education levels and lower household incomes express the highest concern. About 40% of respondents with a high school degree or less said they were "very concerned" about AI taking their jobs. About 41% of individuals earning less than $50,000 annually reported similar concern levels. Democrats were more worried than Republicans (41% vs 31% "very concerned"), and women expressed more concern than men overall.
Are Americans' concerns about AI and jobs justified by data?
Yes, to a meaningful degree. In 2026, Wix announced 1,000 layoffs explicitly attributing them to AI replacing development and design roles. Nearly 116,000 tech workers had been laid off through late May 2026, with a significant portion tied to AI-driven restructuring. Forrester research found enterprises postponing 25% of planned AI investment as financial scrutiny increased, suggesting the transition is creating disruption without delivering the expected returns on schedule.
What do employers and policymakers need to do about AI job displacement concerns?
Researchers and pollsters recommend proactive workforce education about AI's role as a productivity tool rather than a wholesale replacement system. Canada's AI for All national strategy committed to free AI training for all Canadians and 90,000 AI-related job placements as part of its response. In the US, no equivalent national framework exists. Businesses deploying AI tools should communicate clearly with their workforces about which roles will change and how, rather than leaving the information vacuum to be filled by anxiety.
