Did you study at university, and if so, in which area?
Humanities, social sciences or the arts
41% (39)wave 1: 29%
I did not study at university
29% (28)wave 1: 38%
Sciences, engineering, mathematics or medicine
25% (24)wave 1: 26%
Both, or a mixed field
5% (5)wave 1: 6%
Have world events made you more curious about how the world works?
Yes, definitely
40% (38)wave 1: 29%
Somewhat
36% (35)wave 1: 43%
Not really
24% (23)wave 1: 28%
How often do you learn something new purely out of interest?
Most days
20% (21)
A few times a week
38% (39)
Occasionally
35% (36)
Rarely or never
7% (7)
Shown on all 103 completes. The 7 answering rarely or never are screened out of every other table.
Which of these big questions would you most want to explore? (ranked in top three)
How does the mind work?
50% (48)wave 1: 47%
Why does the universe exist?
38% (36)wave 1: 32%
What makes a good society?
38% (36)wave 1: 34%
What is the origin of life?
30% (29)wave 1: 28%
How do we know what is true?
28% (27)wave 1: 40%
The story of human language
28% (27)wave 1: 27%
Why do civilisations rise and fall?
27% (26)wave 1: 29%
What makes us human?
26% (25)wave 1: 24%
Why do East and West think differently?
20% (19)wave 1: 20%
Why do we search for meaning?
16% (15)wave 1: 20%
Which subjects would you most want a service like this to cover? (up to five)
Psychology and the mind
72% (69)wave 1: 61%
Science and the cosmos
56% (54)wave 1: 53%
European history
45% (43)wave 1: 40%
Artificial intelligence
44% (42)wave 1: 44%
European philosophy and ideas
41% (39)wave 1: 32%
European literature and poetry
26% (25)wave 1: 22%
Chinese philosophy and thought
22% (21)wave 1: 15%
Mathematics
18% (17)wave 1: 29%
Chinese history
12% (12)wave 1: 14%
Chinese literature and poetry
3% (3)wave 1: 9%
Other
2% (2)wave 1: 5%
When you learn in depth, how much does each of these matter to you?
Trusting it is expert and accurate
89% mean 4.5wave 1: 83%
Genuinely understanding it, not just feeling informed
89% mean 4.4wave 1: 84%
Learning at my own pace
86% mean 4.3wave 1: 75%
It fitting around my life
82% mean 4.1wave 1: 67%
A sense of real progress
77% mean 4.0wave 1: 70%
Being challenged, not talked down to
73% mean 4.0wave 1: 73%
Content at serious depth
64% mean 3.8wave 1: 60%
Connecting ideas across subjects
56% mean 3.7wave 1: 59%
Bars show the share answering 4 or 5 on the five point scale. Hover a bar for the full spread.
How much do you agree with each statement?
I would rather truly understand a subject than just feel informed
89% mean 4.4wave 1: 83%
I want to be challenged, not talked down to
85% mean 4.2wave 1: 76%
Bars show the share answering 4 or 5 on the five point scale. Hover a bar for the full spread.
How would you prefer to explore a new topic?
A structured course
28% (27)wave 1: 34%
Documentary-style videos
22% (21)wave 1: 27%
Podcasts and audio
15% (14)wave 1: 12%
Reading recommendations
14% (13)wave 1: 16%
A structured course with an AI companion
11% (11)wave 1: 6%
An AI conversation
9% (9)wave 1: 3%
Other
1% (1)wave 1: 3%
Other, in their words: "Flexible learning with guided sessions alongside a textbook/publications and exercises to test my understanding"
When you find an idea hard to understand, what helps you most? (ranked in top three)
Breaking it into a sequence of smaller steps
68% (65)wave 1: 58%
A worked example
62% (60)wave 1: 63%
An analogy or comparison to something I know
53% (51)wave 1: 58%
Talking it through with someone
48% (46)wave 1: 51%
A diagram or picture
41% (39)wave 1: 37%
The same idea again in simpler words
28% (27)wave 1: 33%
When learning for personal interest, which best describes you?
I prefer short lessons with some depth
39% (37)wave 1: 37%
I like to explore topics in detail
24% (23)wave 1: 26%
I like to read beyond the course itself
15% (14)wave 1: 10%
I can spend hours on one subject
11% (11)wave 1: 18%
I prefer summaries
10% (10)wave 1: 8%
Other
1% (1)wave 1: 1%
Other, in their words: "A bit of all of these options depending on the topic"
Which best describes you? (subjects and connections)
I prefer one subject at a time
50% (48)wave 1: 47%
I enjoy seeing connections
42% (40)wave 1: 46%
I actively look for interdisciplinary learning
8% (8)wave 1: 7%
Which roles would you want an AI companion to play? (up to three)
Explain difficult concepts
61% (59)wave 1: 47%
Answer my questions
42% (40)wave 1: 40%
Personalise my learning
31% (30)wave 1: 27%
Challenge my thinking
29% (28)wave 1: 27%
Recommend related ideas
24% (23)wave 1: 28%
Help me reflect
18% (17)wave 1: 15%
Other
14% (13)wave 1: 18%
How comfortable are you learning with an AI companion?
Not comfortable (1) to Very comfortable (5). 43% answer 4 or 5; the mean is 3.1. Wave 1: 22% and a mean of 2.6.
Which devices do you use for learning today?
Laptop or desktop
72% (69)wave 1: 66%
Mobile
66% (63)wave 1: 68%
Tablet
28% (27)wave 1: 33%
None of the above
1% (1)wave 1: 3%
Which device do you reach for when you want a quick look?
Mobile
77% (74)wave 1: 77%
Tablet
11% (11)wave 1: 9%
Laptop or desktop
11% (11)wave 1: 14%
Which device do you reach for a long, focused session?
Laptop or desktop
77% (74)wave 1: 74%
Mobile
12% (12)wave 1: 13%
Tablet
10% (10)wave 1: 13%
How willing would you be to use a serious learning product mostly on your phone?
Not at all (1) to Very willing (5). 30% answer 4 or 5; the mean is 3.0. Wave 1: 31% and a mean of 3.0.
When you move from a quick look to studying properly, do you switch device?
Sometimes
42% (40)wave 1: 41%
Yes, usually
41% (39)wave 1: 37%
No, I stay on the same device
18% (17)wave 1: 21%
Where do you currently learn?
Books
68% (65)wave 1: 59%
YouTube
58% (56)wave 1: 53%
BBC documentaries
55% (53)wave 1: 45%
Podcasts
45% (43)wave 1: 29%
ChatGPT
34% (33)wave 1: 22%
Wikipedia
32% (31)wave 1: 37%
University lectures
17% (16)wave 1: 16%
Substack
5% (5)wave 1: 6%
Coursera
5% (5)wave 1: 6%
The Great Courses or Wondrium
2% (2)wave 1: 1%
Other
1% (1)wave 1: 7%
When you become curious about a topic, what do you usually do first? new in this wave
Search Google
51% (49)
Read articles
18% (17)
Watch YouTube
11% (11)
Ask ChatGPT
10% (10)
Buy a book
4% (4)
Listen to a podcast
3% (3)
Other
2% (2)
Other, in their words: "Ask my local AI"; "Look it up on Wikipedia"
What makes you trust a learning platform? (up to three) new in this wave
Academic experts
61% (59)
Transparent sources
56% (54)
Human teachers
41% (39)
A recommendation from a friend
32% (31)
University partnerships
30% (29)
Community recommendations
21% (20)
Other
3% (3)
Which would you most likely pay for? new in this wave
Individual courses
39% (37)
I would not pay
30% (29)
Monthly subscription
21% (20)
One-off lifetime purchase
9% (9)
Annual membership
1% (1)
Do you set time aside for studying things you are interested in? new in this wave
I mostly learn alongside other things, podcasts whilst exercising
33% (32)
I rarely sit down to study as such
32% (31)
I study in gaps in the day, giving it my full attention
19% (18)
I set aside regular time just for it
16% (15)
The concept: how much do you agree with each?
This sounds like something I would find useful
53% mean 3.4
I would be willing to try this service
54% mean 3.3
I would still be using this service after one month
29% mean 3.0
Bars show the share answering 4 or 5 on the five point scale. Hover a bar for the full spread.
The concept stem was reworded for this wave (none of the busywork, was none of the deadlines, assignments or box ticking), so wave 1 figures are not directly comparable and are not shown.