YouGov International Technology Report 2021: Comparison of results

61% Think that artificial intelligence is just the next step in the evolution

Emotions toward AI vary by market type: Global Comparison

Emotion toward AI (Net) % of Respondents

While there is mixed emotion across the world toward AI, South Africans have more positive feelings overall, aligned to the Eastern and Emerging markets, with ‘scepticism’ being an overwhelmingly Western market sentiment.

Market Clusters

Western (US,UK,FR,DE,IT,DK,ES,SW,AU)

Eastern (CH,ID,IN,HK,SG)

Other Emerging (PO,MX,UAE)

Q: Which, if any, of the following statements do you agree with as it pertains to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation? Please select all that apply.

Age does not define acceptance of AI: Global Comparison

Interestingly, age dynamics play less of a role in feelings towards AI. In several countries, even older generations accept AI (particularly in Emerging markets), with South Africa holding a stronger acceptance level for the younger generation (similar to Western markets).

While this pattern holds true when looking at negative sentiment among age groups, the older groups do not necessarily exhibit higher levels of scepticism, particularly across Western markets. In South Africa, the highest levels of scepticism comes from the middle age group (35-44 year olds), with the younger and older generations showing similar levels of scepticism.

% Stated emotion of acceptance

% Stated emotion of scepticism

South African Data collected November 2021

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