Among adults who used AI chatbots to seek information about the 2026 elections, 76% said they used them to learn candidates’ positions, 71% to check information encountered elsewhere and 65% to learn about candidates’ backgrounds.
SSRS conducted a survey of U.S. adults from 2026-10-12 to 2026-10-18. The reported sample size was 5273, using Online and live telephone.
Reported findings
Are you using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to find any of the following kinds of information about the upcoming November elections? Information about where the candidates stand on the issues
Base: Adults who used AI chatbots to find information about the 2026 elections · n = 427
Are you using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to find any of the following kinds of information about the upcoming November elections? Information about the candidates’ lives and careers
Base: Adults who used AI chatbots to find information about the 2026 elections · n = 427
Are you using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to find any of the following kinds of information about the upcoming November elections? Information on the accuracy of things you have heard or read in other places about the candidates or issues in the election
Base: Adults who used AI chatbots to find information about the 2026 elections · n = 427
The reported questions have a subgroup base of 427 election-information chatbot users, not all 5,273 survey respondents. SSRS conducted the survey for Pew; its October 30 repost is not a second independent survey. Rounded response categories may not sum to 100%.
Caldwell analysis
These percentages describe a specific subgroup: the 427 respondents who used chatbots for election information. They do not mean that three-quarters of Americans use AI to research candidates. The full survey sampled 5,273 adults; confusing those two bases would substantially overstate adoption.
The reported uses suggest that chatbots serve several research purposes for these users. The survey measures what people say they seek, not whether the answers they receive are accurate or whether chatbot use changes their vote.
Reading the results
These figures describe the stated survey population during the fieldwork period. A single survey does not establish a trend. Comparisons require compatible questions, populations and methods.
Sources
Few Americans Say They Are Asking AI Chatbots for 2026 Election Information. SSRS. Source released 2026-10-23.