Brief

It’s You, Not Me – Survey Data on AI’s Impact on Employees

Tom Akana

Senior Advisor and Research Fellow, Consumer Finance Institute

April 2026

While the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workplace has received a significant amount of attention in recent years, the nature of that effect on employees and on the job market appears to be mixed among respondents to the LIFE Survey.

LIFE Survey

Generally and across most demographic groups, employed respondents are very likely to disagree that AI is directly affecting their jobs or career opportunities. At the same time, they are very likely to agree that AI is affecting the job market as a whole.

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LIFE Survey Report – January 2026

Tom Akana

February 2026

This report is part of a quarterly series on key observations from the Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey. Data from the survey provide insight into consumers’ recent financial lives and their future expectations.

LIFE Survey

Consumer Finance

Brief

Evidence of Diverging Spending Behavior by Income

Tom Akana

November 2025

Recently, a variety of sources have presented evidence suggesting that U.S. consumers are experiencing a so-called K-shaped economy. In other words, different segments of consumers are encountering increasingly divergent trends. In most cases, these sources point to an apparent divergence in consumer spending growth between high- and low-income consumers.

LIFE Survey

Consumer Credit

Brief

Under Pressure: Financial Stress and Housing Payments

Tom Akana,
Lauren Lambie-Hanson &
Valeria Zeballos Doubinko

September 2025

This report uses the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s July 2025 LIFE Survey to study the recent experiences of both homeowners and renters, examining their ability to make housing payments, financial shocks they have experienced, and the strategies and tools they employ to make ends meet.

LIFE Survey