A CNN poll finds 75% of Americans feel more fear and concern than hope about AI, across party lines
Americans are scared of AI. 75% say they feel more fear and concern than hope and excitement about AI, per a new CNN poll. Only 25% lean toward hope. It crosses party lines: Democrats: 85% Independents: 77% Republicans: 62%
Context
Public opinion on AI is strongly negative and bipartisan, adding pressure for regulation heading into the November midterms even as the Trump administration resists federal guardrails.
The poll was conducted for CNN by SSRS on September 16 and 17, 2026, among 1,206 US adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points, and was released on September 24. The unusual_whales post resurfaced its findings on October 11. CNN's coverage said about 7 in 10 Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to regulate AI.
Deep dive
On October 11, unusual_whales posted that Americans are scared of AI, citing a CNN poll in which 75 percent say they feel more fear and concern than hope and excitement about AI, with only 25 percent leaning toward hope. The post broke the fear figure down as 85 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents and 62 percent of Republicans.
The poll itself was conducted by SSRS for CNN on September 16 and 17 and released September 24. According to CNN's coverage, 43 percent of Americans feel fear and concern strongly, nearly 9 in 10 are more concerned than excited about the possibility of AI surpassing human intelligence, and a similar share lean toward concern about the growing number of data centers.
CNN reported that about 7 in 10 Americans say the federal government is not doing enough to regulate AI, including 85 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of independents and 63 percent of Republicans. The Hill reported that 71 percent said the government was not doing enough, 10 percent said it was doing too much and 18 percent said its efforts were sufficient. CNN's own anchors noted the findings contrast with President Trump's opposition to new federal guardrails.
What to expect next
Watch whether candidates make AI regulation a campaign issue before the November midterms, and whether new polls show fear growing or easing.
Also watch whether this public sentiment feeds into federal action, such as the safeguards Bill Gates called for on the same day, or into state level AI bills. AI companies may also respond with their own public campaigns aimed at easing fears about jobs, data centers and safety.