October 31st, 2017, YouGov
New YouGov research reveals 56% of 18-29 year olds believe a robot could do their job at least as well as them
Visions of a utopic society, where robots do all the work while humans enjoy all the leisure, have largely come and gone. Developments in genetics, artificial intelligence and robotics mean that robots could instead destroy livelihoods across vast swathes of the population, with recent research suggesting that about 45% of the activities people are paid to do could be automated over the next few decades.
However, new data from YouGov Omnibus suggest that Thais are cautiously optimistic about the impact of robots on society. Overall, 73% of Thais believe that robots will make our lives easier and three-quarters agree that robots can do things humans don’t want to do.
Nearly 8 in 10 would like a robot to do their cleaning
Most Thais are happy to welcome robots into their lives, with just 1 in 25 saying they would not want a robot.
Out of a list of twelve possible functions, the most popular use for a robot is to help with cleaning the house, which 77% of those polled would want. Other popular choices include security (chosen by 67% of respondents) and assistance at work (selected by 49%).
Women and men appear to be in broad agreement about the use of robots for household chores. However, they are more divided about the use of robots for tasks such as driving (35% of men would want a robot for this, compared with 28% of women), care of the elderly (wanted by 30% of men and 24% of women) and managing finances (desired by 17% of men but only 12% of women).
1 in 10 believe a robot would do their job better than them
Despite being able to see the benefits that robots could bring, Thais also recognise the threat they pose to people’s employment prospects; two-thirds of Thais agree that robots will take jobs away from many of us. However, many do not currently feel personally threatened by robots in the workplace, with only 1 in 10 believing that a robot would be better than them at their job.
Younger generations are less certain of their place at work. While 35% of those aged 18-29 think that a robot would not be better them at their job, 40% of those over 45 do. Those under 45 are also more likely to think that a robot could do their job at least as well as them. 56% of 18-29 year olds believe a robot could do their job either the same as or better than them. This is true for 53% of 30-44 year olds and 50% of over 45s.
With robots set to shake up our economy there is certainly a challenge ahead. 8 in 10 Thais agree that robots should be regulated carefully, suggesting that regulators will have to forge a new and difficult path that seeks to maximise the benefits of new technology without taking away citizens’ opportunities and/or income.
*Data was collected online between 11 and 28 September 2017 using YouGov’s panel of over 5 million people worldwide. It was weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: 2,720
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