Educational attainment and anxiety over AI-induced job loss: survey-based evidence from China

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has reshaped labour markets, intensifying concerns about job displacement by artificial intelligence (AI). Although education has historically mitigated employment risks, whether this protective effect persists in the AI era remains contested. Drawing on a nationwide online survey of Chinese citizens, we show that higher educational attainment is associated with lower anxiety about AI-induced job loss. Decomposition analyses indicate that this association cannot be explained by occupational placement or income alone; rather, it is their joint configuration—particularly higher incomes within AI-relevant industries—that accounts for much of the observed correlation. Beyond these structural advantages, education also exerts a cognitive protective role: better-educated individuals tend to engage with AI more prudently and are more likely to use it as a work-assisting tool, both of which are negatively associated with anxiety. These findings refine the skill-biased technological change framework by demonstrating that, in the AI era, ‘high skill’ entails not only advantaged occupational positions but also the capacity for thoughtful and strategic engagement with AI. Overall, the results underscore the continued relevance of education in shaping workers’ perceptions of and responses to emerging technologies, highlighting its role in enhancing labour-market resilience.