Many Americans pessimistic about AI’s impact—and want more regulation

IOD National Survey, Feb.-March 2026. N = 1,330, MOE = +/- 3.49. Credit: Annenberg Public Policy Center
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Bipartisan demand for AI regulation
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) say the government has done “too little” to regulate AI, while only 8% say it has done “too much” and 26% say “about the right amount.” The support for regulation is bipartisan: 77% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 53% of Republicans say the government has done too little. When asked whether the federal government or state governments should take the lead, 52% favor the federal government.

The demand for regulation intensifies with pessimism about AI but is not confined to it. Among those who believe AI’s impact will be “very negative,” 83% say the government has done too little. But even among those people who expect AI’s impact to be “very positive,” 43% say the government has done too little—and a majority (57%) of those who think it’ll be equally positive and negative agree with that view. Only among the most optimistic respondents, the small group that thinks AI’s impact will be very positive, does a majority (53%) say the current level of regulation is “about the right amount.”

IOD National Survey, Feb.-March 2026. N = 1,330, MOE = +/- 3.49. Credit: Annenberg Public Policy Center
AI regulation preferences less polarized
When asked whether former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would have done a better or worse job than President Donald Trump, a Republican, across eight policy areas, AI regulation stands out for its relative lack of polarization—a pattern that may reflect the novelty of AI as a political issue and the absence of established partisan lines. AI regulation draws the largest share of “about the same” responses (24%) of any policy area tested, suggesting that many Americans do not yet see AI policy as a clear differentiator between the parties.