Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025
A comprehensive examination of the public’s trust, use and attitudes towards artificial intelligence across 47 countries.
To cite this research
Gillespie, N., Lockey, S., Ward, T., Macdade, A., & Hassed, G. (2025). Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025. The University of Melbourne and KPMG. DOI 10.26188/28822919
Research overview and methodology
The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought the transformative power of AI firmly into the public consciousness and everyday experience.
The benefits and promise of AI for society and business are undeniable. However, as AI’s capabilities and reach become more apparent, so too has awareness of the risks and challenges, raising questions about the trustworthiness and governance of AI systems.
Given the rapid advancement and transformative effects of AI technologies on society, work and education, bringing the public voice into the conversation has never been more critical.
This research, conducted in collaboration with KPMG, provides one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of public trust, use and attitudes toward AI. The survey captures the views of more than 48,000 people from 47 countries covering all global geographic regions, using representative sampling.
It provides insights into the public’s trust acceptance and understanding of AI systems, their experience of the benefits and risks from AI use, and their expectations of the governance and regulation of AI technology. The research also explores how employees and students use and experience the impacts of AI in work and education settings.
The findings have important implications for public policy and industry practice and help inform a human-centered approach to stewarding AI into work and society. The insights can help policymakers, organizational leaders, and those involved in developing, deploying, and governing AI systems to understand and align with evolving public expectations, and deepen understanding of the opportunities and challenges of AI integration.
How the research was conducted
Data was collected in each country between November 2024 and mid-January 2025 using an online survey. In total, 48,340 people completed the survey across 47 countries, covering all global geographical regions.
As a distinct pattern of findings was found between countries with emerging and advanced economies, we adopted the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) classification of these economic groups.
Surveys were conducted in the native language(s) of each country with an option to complete in English. Professional translation and back-translation procedures were used to ensure question equivalence across languages.
[1] In 8 countries, there was slight under-representation of people aged over 65 years, and in three countries respondents tended to be more urban than the general population. Reliable location data was unavailable for two countries.
How the survey asked about AI
After assessing general understanding of AI, respondents read a definition of AI adapted from the OECD prior to completing questions.
As attitudes toward AI may vary dependent on the purpose and use case, survey questions asking about public attitudes toward AI referred to one of four use cases: Generative AI (used to create output and content in response to user prompts); Healthcare AI (used to inform decisions about how to diagnose and treat patients); Human Resources AI (used to inform decisions about hiring and promotion); and AI systems in general.
These use cases were selected based on expert consultation to represent AI applications that are widely used and can impact many people. Respondents were randomly allocated one use case and read a description, including what it is used for and how it works, before answering related questions.
How the data was analysed
Statistical analyses explored differences across countries, economic classifications (IMF-defined advanced and emerging economies), and demographic factors (e.g. age, education, income). Reported findings reflect statistically significant and meaningful variations.
How changes in attitudes were assessed over time
Our research program provided the unique opportunity to compare data on a selection of questions from the current survey with our previous survey of 17 countries in late 2022, just prior to the release of ChatGPT. The 2022 survey covered 17 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Korea, the UK, and the US.
While the methodology and representativeness criteria were consistent between surveys, the samples are independent. Thus, comparative analysis identifies general trends rather than longitudinal changes in individual respondents.
Funding
This research was supported by the Chair in Trust research partnership between the University of Melbourne and KPMG Australia, and funding from KPMG International, KPMG Australia, and the University of Melbourne.
The research was conducted independently by the university research team.
