An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
Americans overwhelmingly say that secure and fair elections are important to them and that they are willing to accept election results even when their preferred candidate loses. Yet confidence in the overall American election system is far from universal: 58% express confidence, while 42% do not, according to a new national Catawba College-YouGov Survey.
In conjunction with a conference on “The Ballots & Bots: Defending Democracy, Elections, and Public Trust in the Age of AI,” this national survey finds that Americans place a high value on secure and fair elections, but confidence in the election system is conditional and vulnerable, especially with AI-generated deception.
“Across partisan groups, Americans express broad concern that AI will make election information harder to trust and support strong guardrails for AI in campaigns,” said Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which is co-presenting the conference along with the Task Force for American Democracy. The N.C. Politics Center wrote and paid for the national survey, which was administered by YouGov to 1,200 U.S. adults, weighted to reflect the national population, from Sept. 4-9, 2026. The survey’s overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, with subgroups having a higher margin of error.
“This survey shows both a durable commitment to election integrity and a clear warning about the conditions that can weaken public trust. Americans want elections to be secure and fair, but they are increasingly concerned that AI-generated deception could make it harder to know what is real regarding candidates and elections,” Bitzer said.
AMERICANS VALUE SECURE AND FAIR ELECTIONS, BUT CONFIDENCE IN THE SYSTEM IS NOT UNIVERSAL
Election integrity and security are top priorities for Americans: 86% say ensuring elections are secure and fair describes them very or somewhat well. In addition, 82% say they will accept results even when their preferred candidate loses, indicating that most are prepared to accept unfavorable electoral outcomes.
Nearly seven in 10 (68%) Americans describe themselves as knowledgeable about their state’s election administration. However, one in three do not feel knowledgeable about how elections are conducted in their state. “These findings suggest that the commitment to election fairness is much stronger than confidence in the system,” Bitzer said. “In addition, there is a real opportunity for election education and communication in this year’s midterm, and moving forward.”
Nearly six in 10 (59%) say they sometimes question whether an election result is accurate, especially when the winning candidate does not appear to have much public support. A majority (52%) believe that major problems occur in election administration very or somewhat often, compared with 41% who say not too often or never.
And when it comes to mail-in ballots, a source of current controversy, 46% believe that mail-in ballots are often tampered with or fraudulent. Seven in 10 Republicans have concerns with mail-in votes, while a majority of Independents and seven in 10 Democrats do not.
“Mail-in voting remains a major fault line in public perceptions of elections. This finding illustrates how perceptions of election security can vary sharply even when voters share the same desire for secure and fair elections. Rebuilding confidence requires sustained, credible communication about how ballots are handled, verified, and counted,” Bitzer said.
AMERICANS ARE FAMILIAR WITH AI, BUT WORRY ABOUT ITS ROLE IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS
Artificial intelligence is not an unfamiliar technology to most Americans nowadays: 77% have heard a lot or some about AI in everyday life. And a plurality, 46%, use some form of AI at least weekly.
And yet when asked if they would want a data center for AI operations in their community, 51% oppose the idea, while two in 10 support it.
While nearly three-quarters of Americans report seeing at least some artificial intelligence in campaigns and elections, majorities say that AI’s overall effect on democracy will be negative (53%) and will introduce major or new problems in political messaging (50%). Two-thirds (68%) are very or somewhat concerned about AI’s use in this year’s midterm elections.
“Americans express only limited confidence in their ability to distinguish real political content from AI-generated material: 52% say they are very or somewhat confident, while 39% say they are not very or not at all confident,” Bitzer said.
“With nearly half (48%) of respondents say they have encountered political content they thought might have been generated or altered using AI in the past six months, it seems that perceived AI exposure is already widespread. And with another 21% unsure, this is notable and consistent with the difficulties of detecting AI-political content.”
Among Americans who reported encountering suspected AI-generated political content, 70% say they encountered it on social media or video platforms and 41% saw it in campaign advertising.
Bitzer noted that “the challenge is not simply that AI-generated political content exists. It is that many Americans believe they may already be encountering it, while a substantial share are not confident that they can reliably distinguish synthetic content from the real thing.”
AMERICANS SEE AI AS A THREAT TO ELECTION TRUST AND SUPPORT STRONG SAFEGUARDS
When asked about the impact AI could have on campaigns and elections, Americans express concern that they could not trust what they see in campaigns and elections. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) are concerned about AI used to spread misleading political content that looks real, with 72% believing that people will become less confident that election-related content is real.
Three-quarters say it is likely that AI will make it harder to tell whether campaign information is authentic. Similarly, 74% say they would be very or somewhat worried that a realistic video of a candidate making a controversial statement could be fake. Among those with at least some such concern, 78% say they would be likely to try to verify the video.
A plurality (45%) said they would be less likely to support a candidate whose campaign used AI-generated content that created a misleading impression, even if the content did not have an outright false statement. Twenty-nine percent said it would make no difference, while 11% said they would be more likely to support the candidate.
“These findings point to a fundamental risk for democratic politics: when voters cannot confidently determine whether a video, image, or message is authentic, the damage can extend beyond a single claim or campaign message. It can weaken confidence in the information environment surrounding American elections,” Bitzer noted. “Ultimately, AI’s greatest democratic risk may be less about persuading people to believe one falsehood, but more likely making them doubt everything they see.”
Americans Identify Several Potential Risks of AI in Elections
| Potential Impact of AI on elections | Percentage saying likely |
|---|---|
| AI-generated content will make it harder for voters to tell whether campaign information is authentic | 76% |
| People will become less confident that election-related content is real | 72% |
| AI will make false claims about elections spread faster than officials can correct them | 71% |
| AI could make some people less likely to vote | 55% |
| AI could make it easier for losing candidates/supporters to cast doubt on legitimate results | 54% |
The survey finds broad public support for safeguards aimed at deceptive AI in elections. Eighty-five percent favor requiring labels or disclaimers on AI-generated political content, and an equal share favor making it illegal to distribute AI-generated content that falsely depicts a candidate or election official saying or doing something they did not say or do.
Eighty-three percent agree that regulations are needed to address deceptive AI-generated election content, and 81% favor holding social media platforms responsible for removing deceptive AI election content.
Other regulatory proposals also received broad support: 78% favor criminal penalties for creating deceptive AI election content, 73% favor banning AI-generated political advertisements during the final week before Election Day, and 71% favor requiring campaigns to disclose AI-generated political content.
When asked to rank who should bear primary responsibility for protecting the public from deceptive AI-generated election content, 36% ranked the federal government first, followed by technology companies developing AI tools at 18%, campaigns and political parties at 14%, state government at 11%, and social media companies at 10%.
“Americans are not only identifying the problem; they are signaling the kinds of solutions they want. Transparency, clear labeling, consequences for fabricated content, and responsibility for the institutions that create, distribute, and benefit from political AI garner 85% support by respondents,” Bitzer said.
AMERICANS PLACE GREATER TRUST IN ELECTION OFFICIALS AND LOCAL SOURCES THAN SOCIAL MEDIA OR AI
Respondents report trusting friends and family most often for election information, with 70% expressing a great deal or fair amount of trust. Majorities also report at least a fair amount of trust in state election office websites (59%), local election officials (58%), and local news organizations (57%).
Trust falls sharply for social media platforms and AI chatbots or assistants. Two-thirds of Americans report little or no trust in social media platforms (67%) or AI chatbots and assistants (67%) for accurate information about voting and elections.
“The findings make clear that trusted election communication cannot depend on social media or AI tools alone,” Bitzer said. “State and local election officials, along with credible local information sources, remain essential to helping voters find accurate information and respond to misinformation.”
“Overall, Americans express a strong commitment to legitimate elections, but confidence depends on whether they can trust the information surrounding those elections—and AI is emerging as a new source of uncertainty.”
The survey was conducted online from Sept. 4-9, 2026, by YouGov, which interviewed 1,200 U.S. adults 18 years and older; results are weighted to be representative of U.S. adults. The overall margin of error (adjusted for weights) is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points; subgroups will have higher margins of error. In addition to sampling error, surveys are subject to other kinds of error; all results should be viewed as informative estimates rather than definitive measures of public opinion.
This survey was conducted for a conference on “The Ballots and Bots: Defending Democracy, Elections, and Public Trust in the Age of AI,” held on Monday, September 28 in Salisbury, N.C. View more information on the conference.
You may find additional details about the poll’s findings, methodology and responses below.
About the Center for NC Politics and Public Service
The Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service at Catawba College is dedicated to enriching civic dialogue, deepening understanding, and fostering engagement within North Carolina. Through non-partisan initiatives, the Center promotes the ideals of public service, civic character and engagement, and informed citizenship across the state. By educating North Carolinians about the state's political dynamics and emphasizing the value of public service, the Center cultivates practical political understanding and encourages active civic participation. In doing so, it helps instill a lasting respect for public life and being a responsible citizen — both among Catawba College students and throughout the wider North Carolina community.
About Catawba College
Founded in 1851, Catawba College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in Salisbury, N.C. Ranked as one of the best regional colleges in the South, Catawba is known for its intellectual rigor, dedicated faculty, beautiful campus, and strong commitment to sustainability and the environment. The College offers more than 70 undergraduate and four graduate programs allowing students to explore diverse interests and create their own academic pathway. Additional information is available at catawba.edu.
