Insider Brief
- A global Hexagon survey of 18,000 people across nine markets found that public anxiety about robots is highest in countries with the least exposure to the technology in everyday life.
- The United Kingdom reported the highest concern, with 52% of adults worried something could go wrong when interacting with robots, while South Korea showed the lowest anxiety at 29%.
- The study found people are most comfortable with robots in factories and warehouses and are more concerned about cybersecurity risks than job loss or physical harm.
A new global survey from Hexagon finds that public anxiety about robots varies widely across countries and is highest in places where people have the least direct exposure to the technology.
According to the company, the study, called Robot Generation, surveyed 18,000 people across nine major markets and found that the United Kingdom reported the highest levels of concern. According to Hexagon, 52% of British adults said they worry that something could go wrong when interacting with robots. South Korea recorded the lowest anxiety level, with 29% of adults expressing similar concerns.
How Do Countries Rank with Robot Anxiety?
Hexagon’s robot anxiety breakdown:
- UK – 52%
- US – 45%
- Brazil – 45%
- Germany – 44%
- China – 44%
- India – 42%
- Switzerland – 39%
- Japan – 35%
- South Korea – 29%
The sensor, software and automation company said the results suggest a strong correlation between public comfort with robotics and exposure to the technology in everyday life. In the U.K., only 30% of adults said they had seen or used a robot in real life, the lowest level among the surveyed countries. In contrast, 75% of adults in China reported having encountered robots, and 81% said they were excited about the technology’s future potential.
The survey also found that people often differentiate between software-based artificial intelligence and physical robots. While robot anxiety was high in the U.K., 61% of British adults reported using AI within the past three months, and more than half said they considered AI chatbots to be a type of robot, according to Hexagon.
Attitudes toward robotics also vary depending on the setting. Respondents reported the highest comfort levels with robots working in factories and warehouses, where 63% said they were comfortable with the technology. By comparison, 46% said they were comfortable with robots in the home and 39% in classrooms.
Hexagon said respondents showed strong support for robots performing dangerous or physically demanding work. About half of participants cited improved safety and productivity as the primary benefits of robotics in those contexts.
The survey suggests that the public’s biggest concern about workplace robots is not job displacement or machine malfunction but security risks. According to Hexagon, 51% of respondents said they were most worried about robots being hacked or misused, compared with 41% who cited physical safety or job replacement as their main concern.
Hexagon said the findings indicate that public trust in robotics tends to increase when people can observe robots operating safely alongside humans and performing clearly defined tasks.
The study surveyed 9,000 adults and 9,000 children ages 8 to 18 across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil and India. The research was conducted by Vitreous World for Hexagon between October and November 2025.
Image credit: Hexagon
