Alec Tyson

52% of Americans say they feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of artificial intelligence.

As the Earth’s temperature continues to rise, climate change remains a lower priority for some Americans, and a subset of the public rejects that it’s happening at all. To better understand the perspectives of those who see less urgency to address climate change, the Center conducted a series of in-depth interviews designed to provide deeper insight into the motivations and views of those most skeptical about climate change.

Two-thirds of Americans say the United States should prioritize developing renewable energy sources over expanding the production of fossil fuels.

A majority of Americans (69%) say it’s essential for the U.S. to continue to be a world leader in space. As private companies become a bigger part of the industry, the public gives them more positive than negative ratings for their contributions to space exploration and spacecraft development. Still, Americans continue to say NASA has a critical role to play going forward.

About four-in-ten Americans (38%) say they’re very or somewhat likely to seriously consider an electric vehicle (EV) for their next vehicle purchase.

Large shares of Americans support the U.S. taking steps to address global climate change and prioritize renewable energy development in the country. Still, fewer than half are ready to phase out fossil fuels completely and 59% oppose ending the production of gas-powered cars.

About nine-in-ten (88%) Americans say, overall, the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella outweigh the risks, identical to the share who said this before the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. adults are less confident in COVID-19 vaccines: Fewer than half rate them as having high health benefits and a low risk of side effects.

There is significant discomfort among Americans with the idea of AI being used in their own health care. Yet many see promise for AI to help issues of bias in medical care.

Among Americans who have heard about AI programs that can write news articles, 16% describe this as a major advance for the news media.

Many Americans are aware of common ways they might encounter AI in daily life, though fewer are able to correctly identify each of the six common uses of AI in the survey. More broadly, the public remains more concerned than excited about the increasing use of AI in daily life.