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TL;DR
A June–July 2026 survey of 8,234 working-age adults in the UK, US, Denmark and India found that about one in five would not leave work for guaranteed income equal to 120% of their salary, with benefits retained. The findings come from an unreviewed arXiv preprint; its author argues that income support alone may not replace work’s social and personal value, but the survey cannot establish how people would behave in practice.
A survey of 8,234 working-age adults in the UK, US, Denmark and India found that about one in five would not quit even if offered guaranteed income equal to 120% of their salary, with health cover, pensions and paid leave retained. The results appear in an October 29 arXiv preprint by Julian Jacobs of the University of Oxford and Google DeepMind, which examines what workers value beyond pay as AI raises concerns about jobs.
The paper, titled What is Work For? Labor, Politics, and Meaning in the Age of AI, reports that most respondents would accept an offer to leave work before it reached their current salary. By 80% of salary, a slight majority said they would quit; at 100%, roughly three in four would do so. Among those accepting an offer, the median threshold was 70% of salary. The survey’s hypothetical offer preserved health coverage, pension and paid leave.
About 20% declined even at 120%. That share was similar across income groups in the study: 21% among lower-income respondents, 18% among middle-income respondents and 22% among higher-income respondents. The paper also reports that 21% of white-collar respondents and 17% of blue-collar respondents were holdouts. Country figures ranged from 16% in the UK to 28.8% in India; the author cautions that the Indian online sample was younger, more urban and more educated than the country’s population overall.
In a separate classification of work values, the paper says 33% were mainly motivated by the work itself, such as purpose, learning or contribution; 23% by colleagues and belonging; 17% by status and recognition; and 26% by pay and benefits. The categories and percentages reflect the paper’s analysis of survey responses, not observed choices or workplace behavior.
WHAT WORK IS FOR, ACCORDING TO WORKERS
Three in four put something other than pay first
The paper sorts workers by what they rate most important in their job. In its own figure, 73.7% of classified workers put a non-money reason first.
The work itself: purpose, learning, contributing to society.
Pay and benefits come first.
Belonging, colleagues, meeting people.
Recognition and prestige.
Pay-first share, by country
Share of classified workers whose top value is pay and benefits
Meaning is not a luxury
Share driven by the work itself (intrinsic), by household income third
Also about a third in craft and trade jobs (33%) and in services and sales (31%).
Shares of the 6,224 working respondents the paper could classify; 2,010 respondents (non-working, or no clear top value) were left out. 2,000 tied answers were assigned by a tie-break rule. Satisfied with their job: 81%.
Source: Jacobs, What is Work For?, arXiv:2610.39375v1, 29 Oct 2026 · preprint, not peer-reviewed · survey of 8,234 working-age adults in the UK, US, Denmark and India by More in Common, June–July 2026, supported by Google DeepMind.
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What Workers Value Beyond Pay
The findings speak to debates about how governments and employers might respond if AI reduces demand for some kinds of labor. A basic income or other financial support could replace earnings, but it would not necessarily replace social contact, purpose, recognition or the structure of a job. Jacobs argues that income support may be necessary but may not compensate for all that workers gain from employment.
The paper also reports that 40% of white-collar respondents thought AI was at least somewhat likely to replace their job within ten years, compared with 29% of manual and service workers. Those are respondents’ expectations, not forecasts of actual job losses. The results offer a snapshot of attitudes across four countries, rather than evidence that AI has already changed employment or that a particular policy would address the risks.
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How the Survey Tested Work’s Value
More in Common conducted the online survey in June and July 2026, with national quotas for age, gender, education and region. It included 2,032 respondents in Denmark, 2,072 in India, 2,052 in the UK and 2,078 in the US. Participants rated job features including pay, benefits, purpose, learning, contribution to society, belonging, meeting people and social status.
The guaranteed-income question increased the hypothetical offer in steps from 60% to 120% of a respondent’s current salary, while retaining specified benefits. The analysis uses cross-sectional regressions with controls for factors including income, occupation, age, gender, education, part-time work and country. The paper says the survey was supported by Google DeepMind, Jacobs’s employer, and states that its views do not necessarily reflect those of Oxford or DeepMind.
The paper is a 39-page preprint, submitted to arXiv in General Economics on October 29, 2026. It has not been peer-reviewed, and its results may change in later versions. The article describing the paper says it appeared on Hacker News on October 31.
“A basic income “may indeed be necessary” in an AI labor shock, but “could ultimately fail to compensate workers” for what work gives beyond money.”
— Julian Jacobs, author of the preprint
Limits of the Survey Evidence
The quit question describes a hypothetical offer; it does not show whether respondents would actually leave their jobs under those conditions. The study also measures stated views at one point in time, so it cannot establish how attitudes might change as AI adoption, wages or working conditions shift.
The preprint has not undergone peer review, and the author says later versions could alter the numbers. The India sample’s composition limits how confidently its country result can be generalized. The paper also reports no statistically significant differences between work-value groups in populist vote intention, despite examining links among work values, AI concerns and politics. Its findings should not be read as proof that AI will replace particular jobs or that non-wage benefits can substitute for income.
Peer Review and Further Evidence
The paper’s next milestone is any revised or peer-reviewed version; the source material does not identify a review schedule. Further research would be needed to test whether the stated preferences predict real decisions, how results vary in more representative samples, and whether work’s social and personal benefits can be maintained outside paid employment as AI changes jobs.
Key Questions
What did the survey find about quitting for guaranteed income?
About one in five respondents said they would not quit even for guaranteed income equal to 120% of salary, with health cover, pension and paid leave retained. A slight majority said they would leave by an offer of 80% of salary.
Who conducted the study and when?
The survey was conducted by More in Common in June and July 2026 among 8,234 working-age adults in Denmark, India, the UK and the US. Julian Jacobs of Oxford and Google DeepMind authored the preprint.
Has the paper been peer-reviewed?
No. The paper was posted to arXiv on October 29, 2026 and has not been peer-reviewed, according to the supplied source material.
Does the study show that AI will replace workers’ jobs?
No. It reports survey respondents’ expectations: 40% of white-collar workers and 29% of manual and service workers thought AI was at least somewhat likely to replace their job within ten years. Those answers are perceptions, not job-loss forecasts.
Can the findings predict what people would do in real life?
Not on their own. The income offers were hypothetical, and the survey captures stated preferences rather than observed decisions. The paper also describes its analysis as relational, not causal.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
