05.08.2026

YouGov: 64% of Britons think it’s unacceptable for employers to use AI to sift job applications

Three in 10 (30 per cent) of those who live in middle class households say it’s acceptable to whittle down job applicants using AI, relative to 20 per cent of those who live in working class households
Seven in 10 (70 per cent) say they would want to do an interview face-to-face if they had one tomorrow, relative to just 16 per cent who would favour doing one remotely over video
22-24 per cent of under 50s would prefer a remote interview, compared to 11 per cent of 50-64 year olds

Andy Burnham has expressed concerns about the way recruitment has changed since the pandemic, stating “AI in terms of CVs and sifting of applications. It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the post-pandemic era is becoming fairer.”

New YouGov polling finds that the public largely agree with the new prime minister, with 64 per cent saying it’s unacceptable for employers to use AI to narrow down job applications, though 26 per cent do feel it’s fine for this to happen.

Thirty Per cent of ABC1s – those who live in middle class households – say it’s acceptable to whittle down job applicants using AI, relative to 20 per cent of C2DEs – those who live in working class households.

Burnham also said that he doesn’t like the culture of interviewing via Zoom or Teams, saying “That just doesn’t seem right to me. I know it’s convenient for the organisations that do it but how does a young person shine in that situation?”

YouGov’s polling finds that most Britons would prefer a return to in-person job interviews, with 70 per cent saying they would want to do an interview face-to-face if they had one tomorrow, relative to just 16 per cent who would favour doing one remotely over video and only six per cent whose preference would be for a telephone interview.

Younger Britons, however, are more likely to favour a remote interview, with this being the preference for 22-24 per cent of those in the under 50 age groups, relative to 11 per cent of 50-64 year olds and just four per cent of over 65s.