Support for AI in Public Administration: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Japan

Abstract

As public administrations increasingly adopt AI, understanding citizens’ attitudes toward algorithmic decision-making has become important for maintaining legitimacy and public trust. We find that citizens in both the UK and Japan are relatively open to AI handling routine administrative functions, but support declines when AI is associated with more complex or discretionary decisions. Individuals who perceive AI as beneficial and who report higher levels of digital self-efficacy are significantly more supportive of AI in public administration, while fear of AI reduces support. Trust in government consistently predicts acceptance of administrative AI, whereas generalized social trust plays a weaker role. Japan shows higher baseline support but also heightened caution, while attitudes in the UK are more ideologically divided. Public acceptance of AI in government depends not only on institutional trust but also on broader social perceptions of the technology and the perceived complexity of the tasks it performs.