Gallup Poll Finds Record 27% of US Workers Fear Tech Displacement

Gallup reports that 27% of United States workers fear technology will render their jobs obsolete, the highest level since the polling organization began tracking the metric in 2017. This figure represents a seven percentage point increase from the previous year and is more than double the 13% reported at the survey's inception.

The anxiety is most acute among workers aged 18 to 44, with 34% identifying technology-related displacement as their primary job concern. While fears among workers aged 45 and older have remained stable, college graduates have seen a sharp increase in worry, rising from 8% in 2021 to 20% in 2023 following the introduction of artificial intelligence tools.

These technological fears are rising while traditional employment concerns remain largely unchanged. Workers continue to cite benefit reductions (33%), layoffs (24%), and reduced wages or hours (21%) as significant worries, though these figures have not shifted as dramatically as the fear of technological obsolescence.