A170.
Rice,
R. E. & Wu, M-Y. (2025). Difference in
and influences on public opinion about
artificial intelligence in 20 economies: Reducing uncertainty through
awareness, knowledge, and trust. International
Journal of Communication, 19, 740-765. Open access: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/22909
This
study examines
how
demographics (sex, age, education, religiousness), public
(institutional)
trust, support for science, science news use, and economy-level
differences
shape public opinion about artificial intelligence (AI) across and
within 20
economies. According to the diffusion of innovations theory,
uncertainty about
an innovation may be reduced through awareness, knowledge, and trust,
influencing opinions about its general social implications. Based on
responses
from 32,330 adults across 20 economies in a Pew survey, public opinion
on
whether AI is good for society ranged from 43.4% to 84.5%, with a mean
of
65.0%. ANCOVA and binary logistic regressions—explaining the overall
variance
of 14% and 19%, respectively—show that all proposed influences were
significantly associated with AI opinion, though with small effect
sizes. The
associations between awareness of and trust in institutions and science
news with
general opinion about AI and society are fairly consistent. The 20
economies
explained 5% to 7% of the variance in opinion.