The Role of Artificial Intelligence Anxiety and Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence in University Students’ Job Finding Anxiety

The spread of artificial intelligence in the labor market is reshaping students’ employment expectations and creating concerns about the job search process. This study examines how students’ artificial intelligence related anxiety and attitudes influence their post graduation job finding anxiety. Although individual attitudes and concerns related to artificial intelligence have been increasingly explored in recent years, limited research has directly addressed the relationship between these variables and labor market-related concerns. There remains a need for multivariate studies with large samples that comprehensively investigate the interplay between technological transformation and employment uncertainty. This quantitative research employed a correlational survey design and included 1,057 students from various faculties and departments across 35 universities in Türkiye. Data were collected through online surveys using convenience and snowball sampling methods. The analysis involved statistical techniques such as correlation, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, and Cohen’s d. The findings showed that higher anxiety and negative attitudes toward artificial intelligence are positively associated with job finding anxiety. In addition, female students, social science majors, and second year students reported higher anxiety levels. The results were interpreted within the frameworks of the Technology Acceptance Model and Social Cognitive Career Theory, suggesting that students’ perceptions of technological transformation influence their career planning and sectoral expectations. In this context, the study underlines the need for a review of higher education policies to better support students' career paths in the age of artificial intelligence.