8% of Americans Use AI to Understand Elections: Can Chatbots Shape Opinions?
Somatirtha
Pew Research Center Survey: A survey of 5,273 US adults found eight per cent used AI chatbots to seek information about the 2026 elections.
Candidate Positions: Among election-related chatbot users, 76 per cent sought information about where candidates stand on issues, making this the leading purpose.
Fact-Checking Claims: Seventy-one per cent of election-information users asked chatbots to check the accuracy of claims they had encountered elsewhere online.
Candidate Backgrounds: Sixty-five per cent used chatbots to learn about candidates' lives and careers, extending their use beyond policy comparisons and platforms.
Voting Suggestions: Forty per cent sought suggestions about making vote choices, raising questions about chatbots' potential influence on political preferences and decisions.
Voting Logistics: Another 40 per cent looked for practical information, including registration, polling locations and options for voting by mail nationwide.
Age Differences: Adults under 50 were more likely than older respondents to use chatbots for election information, 11 per cent versus four.
Information, Not Endorsement: The findings show voters are consulting chatbots for research and verification, but do not establish that responses change their choices.
Influence and Safeguards: Chatbots may shape understanding through summaries and comparisons, making accuracy, transparency, source checking and awareness of possible bias especially important.