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TL;DR
A preprint analyzing a survey of 8,234 working-age adults in the UK, US, Denmark and India found that about one in five respondents would stay in their jobs even if offered guaranteed income equal to 120% of their salary, with benefits maintained. The paper links work choices to purpose, community and status as well as pay, but its findings are based on stated answers and do not establish how people would behave in practice.
A survey of 8,234 working-age adults in the UK, United States, Denmark and India found that about one in five would not leave work even if offered guaranteed income equal to 120% of their salary, with health coverage, pension and paid leave maintained. The finding appears in a preprint posted October 29 by Julian Jacobs of the University of Oxford and Google DeepMind, examining how people value work as artificial intelligence advances.
The paper, titled What is Work For? Labor, Politics, and Meaning in the Age of AI, draws on an online survey fielded in June and July 2026 by polling organization More in Common. The respondents included 2,032 people in Denmark, 2,072 in India, 2,052 in the UK and 2,078 in the US. National quotas were used for age, gender, education and region, according to the paper.
Respondents considered a hypothetical offer of guaranteed income at successive levels from 60% to 120% of current salary, in 10-point steps, while keeping specified benefits. A slight majority said they would leave by an offer equal to 80% of salary; around three in four would leave at 100%. Among those who accepted an offer, the median point at which they said they would quit was 70% of salary. These are responses to a survey scenario, not observations of people actually leaving jobs.
The paper groups respondents by their leading work values. Among those it could classify, 33% prioritized the work itself, such as purpose, learning or contribution; 23% prioritized colleagues and belonging; 17% status and recognition; and 26% pay and benefits. The paper reports that 73.7% placed a non-financial reason first. It also finds the share primarily motivated by the work itself was similar across income groups, at 32% to 34%.
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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Why Pay May Not Replace Work
The results speak to a live question in debates about automation: if AI reduces demand for some kinds of labor, would income support compensate people for losing jobs? Jacobs argues that a basic income may be necessary in an AI-related labor shock, but could fail to replace non-financial benefits people associate with work. That is the author’s interpretation of survey responses, not a measured outcome of an automation event.
The paper’s estimates also put limits on how large the differences appear. After statistical controls, people primarily motivated by purpose asked for roughly 1.9 to 5.8 percentage points more guaranteed income to quit than people primarily motivated by pay, depending on the model. The source equates that range to about $1,100 to $3,500 a year for someone earning $60,000. This suggests work values matter in the hypothetical, while pay remains a powerful reason to leave: most respondents said they would do so at or below their current salary.
For employers and policymakers, the findings suggest that replacing earnings alone may not address every concern associated with job loss. Work can provide social contact, recognition, learning and a sense of contribution. The survey does not show how those needs would change after displacement, or whether other institutions and activities could meet them.
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How the Survey Tested Work Values
The central exercise asked respondents whether they would voluntarily quit if they received a guaranteed income and retained healthcare, pension and paid leave. The offers rose from 60% of current salary to 120%. A separate nine-item questionnaire assessed the importance of job features, including pay, benefits, purpose, learning, social contribution, belonging, meeting people and status. The researchers used these answers to assign work-value profiles.
The paper also asked about perceived AI risk. It reports that 40% of white-collar workers considered it at least somewhat likely AI would replace their job within ten years, compared with 29% of manual and service workers. The study links workers’ values and views about AI, but it does not track actual job replacement or establish that AI caused any respondent’s expectations.
The paper is a 39-page arXiv preprint, submitted in the General Economics category on October 29. It has not been peer-reviewed, and its author says the survey was supported by Google DeepMind, his employer. The paper also states that its views do not necessarily reflect those of Oxford or DeepMind.
“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, paper author
Limits of the Preprint Evidence
The findings come from stated preferences in an online survey. Whether respondents would actually quit under the hypothetical conditions is unknown, and the survey does not measure how people respond to real job losses or income support. The preprint has not been peer-reviewed, and its author says results may change in later versions.
The sample used national quotas, but the paper notes that India’s online respondents were younger, more urban and more educated than the country overall. The reported holdout rate in India—28.8%, compared with 16.0% in the UK and 17.9% in both the US and Denmark—should be read with that limitation in mind. The supplied material does not provide enough detail to assess all potential sources of sampling or measurement error.
The paper discusses political implications, but its own tables show no significant difference between work-value groups in populist vote intention. It does report that purpose- and community-driven respondents were more pessimistic when they expected AI to harm jobs in their industry. Those associations do not establish cause and effect.
Peer Review and Further Evidence
The immediate next step is for the study to receive scrutiny from researchers and, potentially, appear in a revised version. The paper’s preprint status means its estimates are provisional; the source material does not identify a journal submission or a publication timetable.
Further research could test whether the stated willingness to leave work predicts decisions when people face real income guarantees, job displacement or changes in workplace benefits. Until then, the survey offers evidence about how respondents describe the meaning of work—not a forecast of how many workers will leave jobs as AI adoption grows.
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 specified benefits maintained. Around three in four said they would leave at 100% of salary. The answers were hypothetical.
Who took part in the survey?
The online survey included 8,234 working-age adults: 2,032 in Denmark, 2,072 in India, 2,052 in the UK and 2,078 in the United States. It was fielded in June and July 2026 by More in Common.
Does the study prove AI will make workers lose their jobs?
No. The paper reports respondents’ expectations about AI and job replacement; it does not measure future job losses or establish that AI caused the views recorded in the survey.
Has the paper been peer-reviewed?
No. It was posted to arXiv as a preprint on October 29, 2026, and has not been peer-reviewed. Its author says figures could change in later versions.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
