Statista Consumer Insights surveyed 7,326 U.S. adults aged 18 to 64 between January and July 2026 and asked how much they agree with statements about their feelings toward AI. Statista published the chart on February 24, 2026 and updated it on August 27, 2026.

The skeptical statements drew the highest agreement. 30.6 percent said the speed at which AI is developing worries them. 27.9 percent said they are not convinced AI is as effective as people say, and 25.0 percent said they avoid AI wherever they can.

Enthusiasm statements scored lower in most cases. 27.6 percent said they are excited about AI. 18.9 percent said they like to use AI for shopping, and 15.0 percent said they are always first to try new AI features. 11.0 percent said they let AI do the thinking for them.

One statement spans both camps. 18.2 percent said they use AI but do not feel good about it, which Statista groups with the skepticism responses.

Comparing the strongest statement in each camp, the worry about development speed at 30.6 percent sits 3.0 percentage points above the excitement figure of 27.6 percent. The weakest skeptical statement at 25.0 percent exceeds the weakest enthusiasm statement at 11.0 percent by 14.0 percentage points. Statista's headline for the chart states that skepticism outweighs excitement among U.S. respondents.

The chart is credited to Statista Consumer Insights and is distributed under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Statista - https://www.statista.com/chart/35887/attitudes-towards-ai/