Risk Toleration Among UNC-Chapel Hill College Students and Public Opinion Towards AI (2024)

Undergraduate: Michelle Liu

Faculty Advisor: Malissa Alinor
Department: Public Policy

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Since college students are slated to enter a workforce facing the initial repercussions of AI uptake in industries, this study sought to analyze how risk toleration among college students impacted their views of AI. First, this study examined the research question by collecting survey responses from students at UNC Chapel Hill. The primary independent variable asks students to rate their risk tolerance on an 11-point scale. The primary dependent variable asks respondents about their excitement or concern towards AI. Additionally, the survey collected demographic information about respondents’ race, class year, and gender as control variables. Next, the survey conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses of the survey variables using chi-square tests and regressions. For the chi-square tests, the data did not find a statistically significant association between risk tolerance on a 3-point scale and views toward AI, respectively. However, a chi-square had statistically significant results between risk toleration on an 11-point scale and dichotomous use of AI. For most coefficients on the bivariate and multivariate regression, the results did not find a statistically significant relationship between risk toleration and views toward AI. The lack of statistical significance may have been due to limitations of the study, such as a small sample and lack of representativeness. Nevertheless, the study provides policy implications. The study’s lack of statistically significant figures and acknowledged limitations highlight the need for further public opinion research on AI.