Report · AI & Tech

Many Americans don't know who Sam Altman is

Reading

In a Verasight survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted April 21 to 23, 2026, 31% said they were not familiar with Sam Altman.

Another 24% were neither favorable nor unfavorable toward him. Views among the rest were more negative than positive, with 28% unfavorable and 18% favorable.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

31% of Americans said they were not familiar with Sam Altman.

- Sam Altman (OpenAI)

  • Not familiar with this person 30.6%
  • Neither favorable nor unfavorable 23.9%
  • Very unfavorable 16.6%
  • Somewhat favorable 11.4%
  • Somewhat unfavorable 11.2%
  • Very favorable 6.3%

2026 · base n 2,000 · +/- 2.3%

April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey

View source

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-04-21 → 2026-04-23
Base (unweighted)
2,000
Margin of error
+/- 2.3%
Module
April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey

Source

Citation

April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey, fielded April 21-23, 2026, N=2,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 2.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/variety10126#q-1

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.