We’ve released our 2026 Annual US Consumer Survey, polling more than 1,500 US consumers on everything from the economy to how they use, trust, and pay for AI to help founders understand the preferences and behaviors shaping the next generation of technology.
“While technologies change, the fundamental human problems that need to be solved do not,” said Chi-Hua Chien, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Goodwater Capital. “This report is designed to help founders clearly see what people need right now, where they place their trust, and how AI is beginning to reshape everyday life.”
Key Findings
Rising use meets rising worry. Consumer usage of AI and concern about it are growing in lockstep. The share of Americans who use AI daily has risen to 24% (+10 points YoY). A slim majority still start with traditional search engines (53%), but nearly one in five (19%) now begin with an AI assistant, and among daily AI users, AI has already overtaken search (37% start with AI vs. 32% with search). At the same time, two-thirds of Americans (67%) express concern about AI’s impact (+14 points YoY).
America rethinks work for the AI era. Americans are deeply concerned about AI and job loss, yet simultaneously see AI as an entrepreneurial opportunity. Nearly half (48%) are very or extremely concerned that AI will lead to widespread job loss, and 4 in 10 (39%) believe it’s already happening now or will arrive within a year. At the same time, 44% say AI has made it easier to start a business, rising to 64% among daily AI users, suggesting familiarity breeds optimism.
The race heats up for consumer trust and dollars. Market share and monetization are telling different stories. ChatGPT dominates in both primary usage (43%) and trust (46%); by comparison, Claude is the primary tool for 5% of respondents and earns 18% trust. Despite that gap, Anthropic is rapidly catching up to OpenAI in weekly sales volume, suggesting Claude users are more willing to pay. Across the board, nearly half of AI users (46%) already pay for at least one subscription, rising to 57% among daily users.
Midlife consumers drive AI adoption. Adults aged 45–60 lead on usage (85% vs 80% overall). They’re also most likely to pay: 62% spend for at least one AI subscription vs. 46% overall.
Who uses each platform. Compared to ChatGPT, Claude users skew older, have higher income, and are more likely to use AI for coding. Grok has the starkest profile: 77% male, 63% high-income.
The full report breaks down the financial health of the consumer, digital services adoption, AI beliefs and behaviors, and the competitive landscape across AI platforms.
About the survey: Goodwater conducted an online survey of 1,554 US consumers in early 2026, with demographics normalized to the US Census. A subset of AI-platform questions was re-fielded in March 2026 (n=1,452) to reflect significant developments in the AI landscape. Data from Goodwater’s internal data platform covering consumer tech worldwide is also included.