Weekly Data
WHAT THE DATA SAY: 51% of workers say they know AI tracks them on the job
By: Ray Day
CONTACT:
We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking (fielded Sep. 1-3):
WEEKLY WORRIES ABOUT ECONOMY MODERATE
Today, 86% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – down 1 point from last week and higher than December’s 82% rate.
- 77% worry about a potential U.S. recession (down 3 points)
- 74% about affording living expenses (down 1 point)
- 73% about political divisiveness (down 2 points)
- 81% about U.S. crime rates (no change)
- 67% about the war on Ukraine (down 1 point)
- 58% about a new COVID-19 variant (no change)
- 52% about losing their jobs (down 5 points)
DON’T USE AI TO TRACK ME, EMPLOYEES SAY
While many are concerned about AI replacing their job – with 38% of Americans saying AI might make some or all of their job duties obsolete in the future – even more are troubled by employers using AI to track them on the job. Our Harris Poll survey with the American Psychological Association found:
- 51% of workers across different workplace settings said they were aware their employer uses technology to monitor them on the job, including office workers (49%), manual laborers (49%) and customer/client/patient services workers (55%).
- Being monitored coincides with poor employee morale: monitored employees report feeling uncomfortable with the way their employer uses technology to track them (46% versus 23% of workers who did not report being monitored), feeling micromanaged (51% versus 33% for non-monitored) and experiencing emotional exhaustion at work in the past month (39% versus 22% for non-monitored).
- 26% of workers who report being monitored by their employer believe they are not valued at work versus 17% who did not report being monitored.
ALSO BE CAREFUL WITH AI FOR RECRUITING, FUTURE EMPLOYEES SAY
Nearly half of Americans looking for a job worry that AI is tipping the scales against them, according to our Harris Poll survey with the American Staffing Association.
- 49% of current job seekers say AI job search tools are more biased than human recruiters.
- Among those who are considering a new job, 43% believe AI recruiting tools are more biased than humans, compared with 29% of those with no plans for a job change.
- At the same time, 39% of current job seekers have used AI tools themselves to assist in applying for a job – with 36% of Hispanic and 34% of Black Americans saying they have used AI when applying for a job, compared with 17% of White Americans.
54% OF GAS-POWERED CAR OWNERS WOULD CONSIDER AN EV
While 9% of Americans report currently driving an electric vehicle, 54% of gas-powered vehicle drivers say they would be interested in making an EV their next purchase or lease, according to our Harris Poll survey with VinFast.
- 85% of current EV drivers would likely purchase or lease an EV from a new automotive brand if it offered the features they needed.
- Key features drivers say are most important if purchasing or leasing an EV include affordability (58%), convenient/easy to charge (54%), safety (45%), warranty and service (35%), driving technology (23%) and visual design (16%).
- 48% of drivers would like more seating options from EV manufacturers, followed by more storage (47%), body styles (46%) and colors (17%).
- 54% of gas-powered vehicle drivers say affordability is a key reason preventing them from purchasing or leasing an EV.
- Younger drivers (76%, ages 18-44) are more likely than older drivers (46%, ages 45+) to be interested in purchasing/leasing an EV for their next vehicle.
ICYMI
In case you missed it, check out some of the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:
- The Reputation Universe is made up of five key stakeholder archetypes
- Want AI success? Better get your first-party data in order, says Code and Theory CTO David DiCamillo
- Most Americans worry that Social Security will be drained in their lifetime. And Gen Z thinks they’ll never see their investment
- Should teams pay for their own stadiums?
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