The Five Americas of AI Concern

The youngest, most technically literate, and most politically liberal segment in the sample, yet the group least likely to use AI at work.

Progressive Alarmed are 61% Democrat, majority female, and the most educated segment (59% college degree or higher). They scored highest on the AI understanding check (64% correct) but are the lightest AI users, with half reporting no professional use. Their concerns center on near-term systemic harms: misinformation (67%, the highest of any segment), job displacement (54%), and environmental impact of data centers (44%, nearly double the sample average and their signature concern). Existential risk is largely absent from their profile, with only 2% selecting human extinction.

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The most concerned segment across every measure: broadest worry, strongest demand for regulation, and lowest trust in any institution to act.

Alarm Maximalists are predominantly female (60%), lean Democratic (49%), and include a meaningful Republican minority (13%). They are defined by breadth of concern: they select an average of 12.6 out of 14 possible AI harms, far more than any other segment. Ninety-eight percent report being at least "very concerned" about AI's negative effects, with 69% selecting "extremely concerned." Their distrust is total: two-thirds trust AI companies "not at all" and 57% say the same about government. Sixty percent favor pausing AI development entirely.

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The most bipartisan and heaviest AI-using segment in the sample, yet the group most focused on catastrophic and existential risk.

X-Risk Literate are nearly evenly split between Democrats (36%) and Republicans (36%), majority male (55%), and more likely than any other segment to use AI at work daily. Like every group, their top concern is job displacement (48%). What distinguishes them is that catastrophic risks appear on their radar at rates substantially above the sample average: extinction (16% vs. 9%), weapons and warfare (21% vs. 15%), and AI developing conflicting goals (13% vs. 8%). They are the most racially diverse segment in the sample, the most full-time employed (51%), and more than half have children.

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The oldest segment and the one with the most parents. Broadly concerned but at moderate intensity, with opinions still forming.

Cautious Moderates have a mean age of 50, the highest in the sample, and the largest share of parents (60%). They are politically mixed (39% Democrat, 27% Republican, 31% Independent) and hold moderate positions on most measures. On overall AI concern, 53% select "somewhat concerned" rather than "very" or "extremely," placing their intensity well below the alarmed segments. Job displacement leads their concerns at 49%, followed by misinformation at 41%, with a notably flat distribution across concern types. Eleven percent say they don't know enough to have an opinion on AI regulation.

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The least concerned segment on every measure, yet they passed the concern screener. They trust institutions, use AI comfortably, and see the current trajectory as broadly acceptable.

Trusting Pragmatists are the largest segment (23%) and the closest to gender parity (51% male). They are the most Republican group (33%), though Democrats still hold a plurality (40%). On overall AI concern, 77% select "somewhat concerned," with none selecting "extremely." Nearly a quarter (24%) say they are more excited than concerned about AI, the highest rate in the sample. Their top concern is misinformation at 54%, the strongest single-concern dominance of any segment. Existential concerns are essentially absent (3% select extinction). They have the highest trust in both tech companies and government of any group.

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