When people perceive artificial intelligence as replacing human labour, trust in democracy and political participation decline
Vienna, Jan 26, 2026.- Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our society and economy. A new study shows that the majority of people believe that artificial intelligence is displacing more human labour than it is creating new opportunities. Scientists at the University of Vienna and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) demonstrated a causal link: the stronger this perception, the more dissatisfied people are with democracy – and the less they participate in political debates about future technological developments. These effects occur even though artificial intelligence has had only a limited impact on the labour market so far. The study was recently published in the renowned journal PNAS.
How does the population perceive artificial intelligence?
The research team first analysed survey data from 38 European countries with over 37,000 respondents. The result is clear: in most countries, the prevailing view is that artificial intelligence destroys more jobs than it creates. Study author Armin Granulo from the LMU Munich School of Management explains: «The actual impact of artificial intelligence on the labour market is still limited. Nevertheless, many people primarily perceive artificial intelligence as replacing human labour. This perception is remarkably stable and particularly widespread in economically developed countries.»
What does this mean for democracy?
In the current study, the team from Munich and Vienna shows that these perceptions of artificial intelligence are not without political consequences. People who perceive artificial intelligence as destroying jobs are significantly more dissatisfied with the functioning of democracy. They are also less politically engaged – for example, in discussions, civic participation or the co-design of technology policy. «When people feel that artificial intelligence replaces human labour, they express doubts about the political system – they are less satisfied with democracy and its institutions,» summarises study author Christoph Fuchs from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics at the University of Vienna.
Causal relationship: experiments in the UK and the US
To test whether these correlations are indeed causal, the authors conducted two representative experiments in the UK and the US. Participants were presented with different future scenarios of artificial intelligence – one framing AI as a replacement for human labour and the other as a creator of new jobs. The results show that when artificial intelligence was framed as replacing human labour, participants expressed significantly lower trust in democratic institutions and a reduced willingness to engage politically with artificial intelligence.
Why this is important
The study makes it clear that the social consequences of artificial intelligence do not only materialize when jobs actually disappear. Expectations and fears alone can change political attitudes. Study author Andreas Raff from the University of Vienna summarises this as follows: «The very way we talk about artificial intelligence as a society can influence democratic attitudes. If public debates focus heavily on job losses, this can have unintended side effects for democracy.» Christoph Fuchs adds: «Our findings are a warning signal at a time when democratic legitimacy is declining in many established democracies and when democratic influence on the development of artificial intelligence is critical.»
Targeted communication can counteract loss of trust
The study focuses on the political consequences of these perceptions, but not on the exact psychological mechanisms behind these effects. Andreas Raff explains: «Artificial intelligence is a so-called general-purpose technology that will fundamentally change our economic and social system. If people perceive this technology as replacing human labour, this can undermine confidence in the political system as a whole. Further research is needed here.»
At the same time, the authors emphasise that the findings also point to opportunities. «Our experiments suggest that people’s beliefs about artificial intelligence are not fixed,» says Armin Granulo. «These beliefs could be changed through targeted communication that highlights that the trajectory of artificial intelligence – and its impact on labour – is not predetermined, but can be shaped through democratic choices.»
The results provide important insights for politicians, the media and society: «If we want to strengthen democratic participation in the development of artificial intelligence, we must take people’s perceptions of its economic consequences seriously – and actively help shape them,» the authors conclude.
Summary:
An analysis of survey data from 38 European countries with over 37,000 respondents shows that in most countries, the prevailing view is that artificial intelligence destroys more jobs than it creates.
In the current study, the team from Munich and Vienna shows that people who perceive that artificial intelligence destroys jobs are significantly less satisfied with the functioning of democracy and are less politically engaged.
Through experiments in the US and the UK, the authors were able to show that this correlation is causal: people who were told that artificial intelligence replaces jobs expressed significantly less trust in democratic institutions.
The study makes it clear that the social consequences of artificial intelligence do not only begin when jobs actually disappear. Expectations and fears alone can change political attitudes.
The authors argue that these effects can be changed: targeted communication about the fact that the future trajectory of AI is not set in stone can counteract the loss of trust.
More research on democracy:
Together with the new Research Network Democracy and Human Rights at the University of Vienna, the University of Vienna’s semester question for the summer semester 2026 will focus on what democracy and human rights promise us and why we need them. As always, the programme will feature many exciting contributions and activities from various academic perspectives and exchanges with the interested public. Contributions to the semester question on democracy will be online from March 2026 in the science magazine Rudolphina.
Original publication:
Granulo, A., Raff, A., & Fuchs, C. (2026). Perceiving AI as labor-replacing reduces democratic legitimacy and political engagement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(4), e2523508123.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2523508123