Who's afraid of automation? Examining determinants of fear of automation in six European countries

Renata Włoch, Katarzyna Śledziewska and Satia Rożynek

Technology in Society, 2025, vol. 81, issue C

Abstract: This study develops an original conceptualization of fear of automation and examines its determinants, including the role of technology in the workplace (complementary or substitutive), task routineness, workers' exposure to technology, perceived lack of control over life, and position in the labor market. Using survey data from six Central EU countries—Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia—we find that exposure to technology heightens fear of automation, as do task substitution and routineness. Younger, less-educated, and lower-income individuals, as well as those who perceive a greater lack of control, are more afraid of automation, while gender does not show a significant effect. In conclusion, we discuss how fear of automation may impact reskilling motivation in organizational practices.

Keywords: Technological change; Fear of automation; Technological unemployment; Labor market; Human resource management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x24003300

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102782

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