Survey: Romanians believe that artificial intelligence will eliminate new jobs

By Romania Journal Last updated Jan 19, 2024

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Almost 60% of Romanians (59%) believe that artificial intelligence will eliminate new jobs (59%), rather than help create them (29%), according to the data of an Ipsos study published on Friday.

The study that evaluates people’s expectations regarding society, technology, economy and even future perspectives, global security, climate change, surveyed 25,000 citizens from 34 countries – including Romania.

“Romanians maintain their concerns on the immediate plan (increase in inflation and interest rates, demographic decline), being less concerned about climate change or the exposure of personal data on the Internet. At the same time, the increasing level of optimism towards what 2024 can bring and the expectation (even among a small number of our compatriots) that we will become more tolerant of each other are encouraging”, says Dorian Cazacu, Senior Client Director at Ipsos Romania.

According to the study, three quarters of Romanians (74%) believe that last year was a bad year for their country, while half (53%, the same as the global average) believe that 2023 was a bad year at the individual and family level. In Romania, the level of optimism towards 2024 increased by 6 pp compared to the previous wave, now standing at 68%.

In terms of technology, more people believe that in 2024 artificial intelligence will lead to job losses (64%) rather than job creation (43%). The same opinion is also found in Romania (59% vs 29%).

As for climate, after 2023 was declared the warmest year in the history of meteorological measurements (including in Romania), 81% of respondents expect the global average temperature to rise even more in 2024. Along with India (70%) and the USA (68% ), Romanians are less likely to see this phenomenon (73%), compared to the rest of the countries participating in the study.

The majority of respondents worldwide (59%) believe that in 2024 we will spend more time working from the office than from home. In Romania, 50% of the participants in the study embrace this opinion, indicating a polarization of opinions.

Only 1 in 3 citizens of the world (35%) believe that in 2024 people in their country will become more tolerant of each other. Although the weight for Romania (25%) is below the global average, it is encouraging that the level of optimism on this topic is increasing (+8 pp), at the beginning of an election year that is likely to bring to light the high degree of polarization in society Our. By comparison with the average of the EU states included in the study, Romanians are more convinced that during this year the population of our country will decrease (70% vs 45%) and show more optimism regarding the equality of wages between women and men, for the same work (47% vs 35%). At the same time, compared to all other countries worldwide, Romanians are the most skeptical about the chances of winning more medals at the Summer Olympics, compared to the previous edition (25% vs 47%, worldwide).

As for economic forecasts, in Romania, expectations regarding the inflation rate or the interest rate do not differ from the global average by more than 1-2 pp, a net improvement in optimism is observed in these chapters (12 pp, each), compared to the previous study. However, Romanians are more worried about the increase in inflation compared to the average of the EU countries included in the study (71% vs 63%)

The Ipsos survey was conducted online in 34 countries between October 20 and November 3, 2023, among 25,292 adults aged 18 to 74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, 20 -74 years in Thailand, 21-74 years in Indonesia and Singapore and respectively 16-74 years in the other countries (including Romania).

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