New Survey Says Americans Remain Positive on Technology & Innovation

Last month, I followed an intriguing link on USA Today’s front page as I read top stories online. The headline proclaimed: In Tech We Trust: Exploring American optimism on technology.

The story begins: “In a time when we’re more accustomed to being divided than united, Americans have found one thing they can agree upon: our attitudes about technology show overwhelming consensus and widespread optimism. 

In a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Charles Koch Institute, Americans’ confidence in technology is one distinct area where the familiar segments of the American population give way to unified expression. This cohesion is best exemplified in the finding that 92% of Americans indicated their belief that innovation is a big part of American culture and history: a near unanimous result.”

This article points out that this optimism cuts across life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness:

• Life: We live longer and better due to medical innovation
• Liberty: Technology in the workplace gives us more freedom
• Pursuit of Happiness: Innovation improves well being and connects us

This interactive version of the study examines offers a true / false quiz with details (via links) that fact-check American attitudes towards innovation. Here are the questions:  

• Innovation is an important piece of American culture and history. – True.

92% of Americans, spanning geographical, generational and party lines, agree, and so do facts.

• Strong market competition leads to more innovative technologies created at a faster pace. – True. 87% of Americans agree, according to the Harvard Business Review.
• The U.S. is one of the world’s leaders in innovation. – Yes, but…

77% of Americans think so. According to the National Science Foundation, “Every two years the National Science Foundation publishes a report on the state of U.S. science and engineering enterprise. The 2018 report confirmed that 

the U.S. continues to rank first globally on a number of key innovation metrics including: most investment in research and development, 

attracts the most venture capital investment, awards the most advanced degrees, and is the largest producer in high-tech manufacturing sectors.

• Whether early-adopters or Luddite laggards, everyone is engaged with innovation. – True. Today about 16% of Millennials describe themselves as “early adopters” — a little over three times as many who describe themselves as tech-phobic, according to the New York Times.
• Americans care about the utility of a product, not the novelty. – True

“Far and away, the most important aspect of technology for Americans is the utility of the product and whether or not it has a tangible benefit on their lives. 

91% of all survey respondents said that when considering purchasing new tech products they focus more on the actual use of the product than the 

perceived popularity or a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality. …” Source: Thomas Edison Institute

The study also showed that most Americans are not obsessed with artificial intelligence (AI), but are rather hopeful in AI advances in (Read more...)

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