WHAT THE DATA SAY: 51% of workers say they know AI tracks them on the job

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

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?