Automation and Support for a Universal Basic Income: Awareness, Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Income and Education

Abstract Understanding how public perceptions of automation and artificial intelligence develop is important to understanding public support for universal basic income (UBI). We examine US survey data from Pew Research Center to establish whether awareness of automation was related to anxiety over the issue and support for UBI. Findings suggest that awareness was positively associated with both automation anxiety and support for UBI. Automation anxiety was itself associated with support for UBI, and mediated the association between higher issue awareness and policy support. Both the direct association between awareness and anxiety, and the indirect association between awareness and support for UBI through anxiety were moderated by household income and education, with the associations being stronger for lower income respondents and those with lower education attainment. Results are discussed through the lens of diffusion of innovations and the public understanding of science and technology.