One in three Americans have talked to a chatbot instead of their doctor
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded on Ipsos' Omnibus platform, asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked about AI medical questions: We got an interesting client prompt at the Insights Association’s Corporate Researchers Conference in Chicago, and it fit well into this battery we’ve asked many, many times over the past 148 waves of what started out as our quick little COVID tracker.
A client was wondering, are some people putting off going to the doctor, or skipping going entirely not because of the direct cost of the visit but due to a sense of nihilism. “Why bother,” people might consider, “I won’t be able to afford whatever treatment they prescribe.” That’s obviously not a healthy attitude, or at least not one that leads to healthy outcomes.
What we found: One in four said yes, they have experienced medical nihilism, including one in three younger Americans.
The other new question we threw in this battery was “Have you asked an AI chatbot a medical question instead of going to the doctor?” And one in three, including four in ten under age 55, said they had. Sure, “Dr. Google,” has been practicing for a long time now, but a web search was likely to point you to WebMD or Mayo Clinic sites, rather than give you an outright answer.
Elsewhere in this battery, fewer (33% vs 43% in May 2026) said they were postponing or skipping vacations, and we saw a small decline in those spending less on experiences (though almost two in three (63%) still say they are).
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
Most younger Americans consider ‘cost per wear’ as a metric for apparel purchases
Most Americans now understand how tariffs work; More see the costs, fewer see the benefits
Fewer think having armed federal agents in their community make them feel safer
Most Americans trust food inspections less
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
