Welcome to our SurveyMonkey AI Sentiment study, a quarterly report designed to measure ongoing changes in AI usage and consumer sentiment. This study began in Q4 2024, and updates will be released during the first month of each quarter. Below, you will find the latest results, historical results, and details on our research methodology.
Q2 2026 (April - June)
AI adoption inches upward despite continued skepticism and concern
Nearly four in ten (38%) Americans now use AI on a daily or weekly basis, a significant increase from 30% in Q2 2025. Total adoption has also climbed, with 70% of Americans having ever tried AI, a significant increase from 61% last year, and up from 66% in Q1 2026.
One in three 33% Americans feel concerned about AI, slightly up from 30% last year, and are equally impressed and skeptical about the technology (27% and 28% respectively), unchanged year over year.
Sentiment surrounding AI's role in society remains mixed, with four in ten Americans (40%) believing that it will have a mixed impact on their lives, unchanged over the past year (39% in Q1 2026, and 38% from Q2 2025).
Corporate AI spending continues to increase despite public discourse about rising AI costs
Four in ten workers (41%) use AI at least monthly. When asked whether losing access to AI tools will impact their work:
- 38% expect to be less productive (6% significantly less productive, 32% somewhat less productive)
- Half (50%) expect no impact on their productivity
- 12% believe they would be more productive without AI.
Despite public discourse surrounding the rising token costs and AI expenses, organizations are not pulling back: only 14% of workers report that their company has restricted or scaled back AI tool usage within the last three months, and just 10% have observed a pause or reduction on overall AI spending.
A majority of Americans (53%) oppose the construction of data centers in their local communities, citing excess demand on local resources, and negative financial and environmental impact.
Among those familiar with the issue (read or heard a lot/some about AI data centers), opposition grows to 64%, while 25% support it, and 11% have no particular opinion. Resistance is not just limited to local construction, as 60% also oppose construction even in another area of their city.
The pushback against AI data centers are primarily driven by a varying set of concerns:
- 84% of Americans who are aware of data center construction and oppose it cite AI data centers’ excess demand on local resources, such as energy, water, and land as their main reason for their opposition.
- Environmental pollution (71%) and negative financial impact (65%), such as higher utility bills and negative property values are also significant concerns against construction, followed by concerns over their impact on the neighborhood character (53%), or a lack of transparency and community input (59%).
- One in three (37%) also oppose construction due to general anti-AI sentiment.
Supporters of AI data center construction cite the creation of local jobs as their top reason (61%), followed by improved local infrastructure (42%), business and tax revenue (40%), and better land utilization (27%). One in three (36%) also support it due to their general pro-AI sentiment.
Methodology: This quarter’s SurveyMonkey study was conducted April 1 to June 30, 2026 among a sample of 7,582 adults in the US. Respondents for this survey were selected from a non-probability online panel. The modeled error estimate is +/- 2.5 percentage points. Data have been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the overall demographic composition of the United States.
| Period | Sample size | Fielding dates | Margin of Error (MOE) |
| Q2 '26 | n=7,582 U.S. adults | 04/30/26 - 06/30/26 | +/- 2.5pp |
| Q1 '26 | n=8,482 U.S. adults | 02/23/26 - 03/31/26 | +/- 2.5pp |
| Q4 ‘25 | n=2,901 U.S. adults | 12/16/25 - 12/18/25 | +/- 2.0pp |
| Q3 ‘25 | n=10,558 U.S. adults | 07/11/25 - 09/23/25 | +/- 1.0pp |
| Q2 ‘25 | n=6,997 U.S. adults | 04/11/25 - 06/23/25 | +/- 1.5pp |
| Q1 ‘25 | n=41,373 U.S. adults | 01/22/25 - 03/31/25 | +/- 1.0pp |
| Q4 ‘24 | n=25,030 U.S. adults | 10/25/24 - 12/31/24 | +/- 1.0pp |
