• An opinion poll commissioned by the World Economic Forum found people from India are among the world’s most optimistic about technology.
• While many acknowledge their job could be automated, more than two-thirds embrace technology and expect it to be easy to find new employment.
New Delhi, India, October 4, 2019 : Indians are some of the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to technology, according to an opinion poll prepared by SAP and Qualtrics in conjunction with this year’s India Economic Summit. More than 10,000 respondents from 29 countries participated in the survey.
The poll found Indian respondents are exceptional in terms of their optimism. Indian respondents exhibit greater trust in climate scientists and international organizations than people in other regions. They are also some of the least skeptical in the world about the motives of technology companies: more than two-thirds reject the idea that technology companies “only want to make money”.
Compared to global averages, Indian respondents more often say that technology makes “personal relationships”, “society” and “jobs” better. When asked the question “Would you say that new technologies make your life better or worse?” more than half responded, “much better”.
When it comes to the future of work, Indian respondents are embracing new technology, acknowledging that jobs may be jeopardized, but that a growing economy will continue to provide opportunities. More than one-half say their job could be mostly automated, higher than all other regions surveyed.
However, the optimism seen in other survey questions returned when asked “How easy or difficult do you think it would be for you to get a different job tomorrow?” More than two-thirds said finding new employment would be “somewhat” or “extremely” easy. Only 2% of respondents from India said it would be “somewhat difficult” to find a different job.
“The rise of advanced technologies has the potential to create economic and social value, and bolster India’s goal of maintaining its growth momentum,” said Sriram Gutta, Head of Community Development, India and South Asia, World Economic Forum. “At this week’s India Economic Summit, it is one of the four key themes of the programme. These statistics indicate the foundation is there for accelerating the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. The next step is to ensure the governance of them assists India in leapfrogging to an advanced stage of development while maintaining high levels of trust.”
The World Economic Forum’s 33rd India Economic Summit is taking place in New Delhi from 3-4 October under the theme Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World. The two-day meeting will convene more than 800 leaders from government, the private sector, academia and civil society with the aim of accelerating the adoption throughout South Asia of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and making the most of the region’s distinctive demographic dividends.
