Bosch Tech Compass: 72 Percent Believe That Technology Makes the World a Better Place

Three out of four respondents worldwide see technological progress as the key to combating climate change

• U.S. respondents say safety, better health and the ability to make life more comfortable are the top benefits of technology

• AI was singled out as most influential technology of the future by global respondents

• The majority of people in surveyed countries see technology playing a key role in combating climate change

The vast majority of people surveyed worldwide believe that technological progress is making the world a better place (72 percent). This is a finding of the Bosch Tech Compass, a representative survey of the general public in five countries: China, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents were asked to share their opinions on a wide variety of tech-related topics, including its benefits, impact on society, concerns, and how they anticipate technology will shape the future of our world. Full survey results will debut at CES 2022.

“Technology can enable people to do incredible amounts of good in the world, and this survey shows individuals recognize how advancements in tech can fundamentally change – and improve – our lives,” said Davie Sweis, Business Chief Digital Officer, Global Business Services and digital transformation lead for Bosch in North America. “However, the survey also illustrates some skepticism about the power of technology, and we need find ways to strike a balance in using technology to improve the lives of people around the world in a healthy, responsible manner.”

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Tech benefits: Creating a more comfortable, safer and healthier world

When asked about the benefits they hope technological progress will bring, making life more comfortable led the field globally at 54%, followed closely by safety (accident prevention) at 51% and making life easier at 49%.

U.S.-based respondents were the only ones to rank safety first overall with 55%. This was followed by better health (53%), and security (crime prevention)/making life more comfortable, which tied for third (43%) – neither of which ranked in the top three on the Global Index.

Overall, just over three out of every four people surveyed in the U.S. (76%) believe technology progress should be more focused on the problems of society versus individual needs, ranking the U.S. last in this area behind China (81%), Germany/India (85%), and the UK (87%).

Technology of the future

Forty-three percent of global respondents believe that AI will be the most influential technology in their country in 10 years. Three out of five regions, China (60%), U.S. (40%), and Germany (37%), listed AI as the top tech of the future, while India (44%) and the UK (35%) both ranked it second regionally.

People in the U.S. ranked self-driving cars/autonomous driving second (35%) in technology of the future. The UK was the only country to rank this technology first overall regionally (36%), and the UK and U.S. were the only two countries to list it in their top three.

The U.S. and UK also overwhelmingly chose driving when asked if they would prefer to travel by car or be beamed to their destination. In the U.S., 68% chose driving while 64% responded the same in the UK. China was the only country with more people responding they would prefer to be beamed (34%) instead of drive (33%).

The vast majority of respondents (76%) also think tech will play a key role in combating climate change moving forward. While 87% of those surveyed in China agreed with this statement, the U.S. ranked last of all countries surveyed with 69%. Globally, 42% believe hydrogen/fuel cell technologies have the greatest potential to drive sustainability in the future, followed by climate engineering (40%) and biotechnology (39%). The U.S. ranked climate engineering first in this category with 43%.

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