Fox News Poll finds 80% of voters favor public protection over AI innovation

As debates about artificial intelligence (AI) regulation intensify, the latest Fox News Poll finds that most registered voters believe it is urgent for the federal government to address the issue, and protecting the public interest should take priority over promoting innovation. 

Nearly 8 in 10 think it is extremely (40%) or very (37%) urgent for the government to address AI regulations.

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In addition, while more than half say both the federal government (51%) and the tech industry (54%) should have a great deal of responsibility, slightly more say it should fall to the tech side. Another 39% say state governments should have a great deal of responsibility.

While voters across demographic groups broadly agree AI regulation is vital and both government and the tech industry have responsibility, there is a notable generational divide on urgency.

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By a 15-point margin, fewer voters under age 30 view regulating AI as urgent (69%) than those ages 65 and over (84%).

When asked what regulations should be prioritized, more voters favor protecting public interests (80%) than promoting innovation (19%) by a 61-point margin.

While majorities of all age groups prioritize protecting the public, there is still a generational divide: two-thirds of those under 30 favor it (66%), compared to nearly 9 in 10 voters ages 65+ (88%).

Partisan differences are smaller, though Democrats (83%) and independents (82%) are somewhat more likely than Republicans (77%) to prioritize protecting the public interest.

While voters largely agree AI regulation is needed, they are split on whether the U.S. should coordinate with other countries: 51% favor coordination, while 49% prefer the U.S. act independently.

The generational gap is less pronounced here, as voters under 30 are divided (49% coordinate vs. 50% act independently) while voters 65 and over favor coordinating with others by 9 points (54% vs. 45%).

Partisan divisions are starker, as 6 in 10 Democrats favor coordinating with other countries while 6 in 10 Republicans back acting independently.

Independents are divided, 50% each.

Conducted May 15–18, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (109) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.