Per Aspera is in the business of going where others haven’t gone before. As we gear up for our 2025 launch, we decided to take the pulse of the nation on a topic near and dear to our hearts: American manufacturing.
Cards on the table, we want to bring it home — see a lot more Made in America, and we commend efforts to reshore production and strategic capability from abroad.
So, in our first major research initiative, Per Aspera partnered with The Harris Poll to conduct a comprehensive survey of American attitudes toward manufacturing. This Pulse Check—on critical issues, with the American public—is the first of many more to come.
What were we looking for?
We wanted hard data on how Americans really think about the future of making things. The results from our nationally representative sample of over 1,000 adults paint a fascinating—and at times alarming—picture of a nation grappling with technological change and its place in the global economy.
What’d we find?
The story of American manufacturing is one of contrasts and contradictions. Like a Rorschach test for our industrial future, how Americans view manufacturing reveals deep divisions across generations, education levels, and demographics.
The numbers tell a story of a nation deeply divided about its industrial future. While 58% of Americans strongly agree manufacturing is crucial for our economy, only 19% feel confident in their understanding of high-tech manufacturing. This schism isn't just a polling curiosity—it's a snapshot of a nation struggling to reconcile its industrial heritage with its technological future.
A TALE OF TWO FUTURES — HOW GENERATIONS SEE MANUFACTURING
Our analysis revealed some of the most striking demographic patterns we've ever seen in manufacturing sentiment. The relationship between age and confidence in high-tech manufacturing shows a perfect negative correlation (-1.0, p < 0.002)—a statistical unicorn that perfectly captures America's generational manufacturing divide:
71% of Gen Z embraces automation; only 32% of Boomers do
Millennials show the highest overall manufacturing optimism (78%)
Each generation is 15-20% more likely than the last to view manufacturing as a tech career
Gen Z is the only cohort more confident in high-tech than traditional manufacturing
[CHART: Perfect Age-Confidence Correlation Line]
THE NEW MANUFACTURING MIND — EDUCATION, INCOME, AND INNOVATION
Perhaps most revealing is how education and income shape Americans' vision of manufacturing's future. The data shows near-perfect correlations that highlight the role of education in building manufacturing confidence:
Education & Manufacturing Knowledge:
High school only: 95 points
Some college: 120 points
Bachelor's or higher: 138 points (0.99 correlation, p < 0.01)
Income & Manufacturing Confidence:
Under $50K: 25% confidence
$50K-$99K: 47% confidence
Over $100K: 56% confidence (0.99 correlation, p < 0.01)
[CHART: Education-Income-Confidence Triangle]
How/where to put this in? not sure
These correlations reveal promising patterns in how Americans view manufacturing's potential:
Bachelor's degree holders show 72% confidence in high-tech manufacturing
Post-high school education correlates with a 25% jump in traditional manufacturing confidence
University graduates show a 45% increase in high-tech manufacturing confidence
Education level correlates with a 0.95 confidence in automation benefits
AUTOMATION PROMISE OR PERIL, AND RESHAPING AMERICAN INDUSTRY
The data reveals evolving attitudes toward automation's transformative potential. While 68% expect automation to have a positive impact on manufacturing overall, Americans see different dimensions of opportunity:
73% anticipate improved production efficiency
68% expect better output quality
57% think it will improve employee experience
50% believe it will create new types of employment opportunities
Furthermore, the gulf between young and old is even more stark: 71% of Gen Z embraces manufacturing automation, while only 32% of Boomers share their optimism. Perhaps most telling: Americans making over $100,000 are more than twice as likely to express confidence in manufacturing's future compared to those earning under $50,000. This isn't just polling data—it's a snapshot of America's industrial identity crisis.
These numbers reveal an emerging consensus about automation's role in modernizing American manufacturing, with perfect correlations between income (1.0) and education (0.99) with automation optimism pointing toward a future where technological advancement and human potential align.