> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # State of Curiosity 2026: Research on what’s cultivating and crushing innovation in workplaces - URL: https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/state-of-curiosity-2026-report/ - Published: 2026-10-05T10:56:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:30:36.000Z - Description: SurveyMonkey's State of Curiosity 2026: data from 1,925 US workers on how AI use affects the questions teams ask, with examples and checklists for researchers. - Author: Charley Gale - Tags: Reports, Market Research, Customer & Market Research, #surveymonkey The State of Curiosity 2026: new SurveyMonkey research from 1,925 US workers on how AI, speed, and meeting culture affect the questions teams ask, and what it costs when those questions stop. # The questions your team skips today become the rework you pay for later. Product marketing and market research depend on questions. Who is the buyer now? What do they need? How would we know if we're wrong? SurveyMonkey surveyed 1,925 US workers in April 2026 to measure what happens to those questions at work. Workers who often consult AI instead of a colleague report more redo work (**68%** vs **44%**), more missed opportunities (**59%** vs **39%**), and more teams falling out of sync (**61%** vs **32%**). Leaders route questions through AI at nearly 3 times the rate of individual contributors. The report names the 3 forces behind the drop, shows who it hits hardest, and gives you short question sets to use in your next launch review, research brief, or planning cycle. [Download the report](#download) ![](https://v5.airtableusercontent.com/v3/u/58/58/1792742400000/hCA7MV-z_Mnco7Iqy7PJ7Q/pZONltoOOiw9yw7-R8xruDyuw1iMkJJBYrA6f-dxqlAOSl_UoQWQTEWBHfOi7rlLJNSp5uyRBjE6yQ7_WjNd16Z4Tf9CBprlMd2KrxEUJ_pkI35AntaTaVaOqgwuKJoQHCWrVaDUinv-GT8_ufBJfiXFpypNGEsW4aYmKAJKI-_3UAKLgMtJw7EuN4r_OGgDLRvNvGKwfxiHCJsEBYbgog/hk8JU94UMmxaZkOOpSRBJHCDodHfG7OTz6PKZR3E9pI) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-1.svg) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-2.svg) ![](https://v5.airtableusercontent.com/v3/u/58/58/1792742400000/dtLw8hWM6oPhUoJJ4kf4Tg/_EBZfNjL4itpnVdi1H2_woZoSoUdCMsPF8MXyddmFw_lXkjB1VlRw1WczaaO0krg8oUlirJdVVyr_iwR56VjLcCYXaQ2dVG0SrazgSHcMmGrJh-3GAAzBuJhl00Ms7ENYgGQQ5j0LN0b3Fn7zj6xrR0jKanDNqadPKVPeYXBVIuC-ONiNTl1l78iqhk4UzP8fj-RqncwG1-js-SLd0vvV_WWqONw9LECL-xD4vL9JcM/hiCZTkFY1gBwI6606blQwnqQE0ifjLn1WjifF3y-Ll0) ## Who it's for This report is for product marketers, insights leads, and market researchers who decide what to test, what to ask customers, and which answers to trust. You'll get benchmark data you can quote in a business case, 3 real examples of teams that tested before they committed, and practical checks for deciding when AI belongs in the work and when a conversation with a colleague or customer should come first. [Give me my copy](#download) ## What you’ll discover ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-3.svg) ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) Why Gen Z feels the most pressure to already know the answer (45% vs 27% of Boomers), even though they're the most likely generation to say curiosity is rewarded more than it was 5 years ago. ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) How SurveyMonkey rebuilt its company values with 3 rounds of employee surveys and AI analysis of thousands of comments, and raised the share of employees who said the values matched the culture by 23 points. ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) How Sakura of America tested a $100 pen with US consumers before arguing about it, and what the data told them. ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) 3 questions that turn "I don't think that would work" into a claim your team can test before the big call. ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) Why the people with the most colleagues to call are the least likely to call them. Half of individual contributors never use AI in place of a teammate. Among leaders, it's closer to 1 in 5. ![bullet](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/check-bullet-point.svg) The gap between what workers trust and what they do. 58% say a colleague is more reliable than AI, and more than a third of AI users still accept its output as-is or after a quick check. [Give me my copy](#download) ## Download your copy The report is free. Download it to get the full benchmark data, 3 case studies, and the question sets your team can use before its next launch, survey, or positioning decision. If your team uses AI to draft research plans, messaging, or customer insights, this report shows where the misses start: in the questions nobody asked at the beginning. Half of workers say they've redone work for exactly that reason. Every number comes from SurveyMonkey's April 2026 study of 1,925 US workers, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. ![Report Image](https://v5.airtableusercontent.com/v3/u/58/58/1792742400000/hCA7MV-z_Mnco7Iqy7PJ7Q/pZONltoOOiw9yw7-R8xruDyuw1iMkJJBYrA6f-dxqlAOSl_UoQWQTEWBHfOi7rlLJNSp5uyRBjE6yQ7_WjNd16Z4Tf9CBprlMd2KrxEUJ_pkI35AntaTaVaOqgwuKJoQHCWrVaDUinv-GT8_ufBJfiXFpypNGEsW4aYmKAJKI-_3UAKLgMtJw7EuN4r_OGgDLRvNvGKwfxiHCJsEBYbgog/hk8JU94UMmxaZkOOpSRBJHCDodHfG7OTz6PKZR3E9pI) [Give me my copy](#download) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-4.svg) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-5.svg) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-4.svg) ![Report Image](https://v5.airtableusercontent.com/v3/u/58/58/1792742400000/hCA7MV-z_Mnco7Iqy7PJ7Q/pZONltoOOiw9yw7-R8xruDyuw1iMkJJBYrA6f-dxqlAOSl_UoQWQTEWBHfOi7rlLJNSp5uyRBjE6yQ7_WjNd16Z4Tf9CBprlMd2KrxEUJ_pkI35AntaTaVaOqgwuKJoQHCWrVaDUinv-GT8_ufBJfiXFpypNGEsW4aYmKAJKI-_3UAKLgMtJw7EuN4r_OGgDLRvNvGKwfxiHCJsEBYbgog/hk8JU94UMmxaZkOOpSRBJHCDodHfG7OTz6PKZR3E9pI) ## Download your copy The report is free. Download it to get the full benchmark data, 3 case studies, and the question sets your team can use before its next launch, survey, or positioning decision. If your team uses AI to draft research plans, messaging, or customer insights, this report shows where the misses start: in the questions nobody asked at the beginning. Half of workers say they've redone work for exactly that reason. Every number comes from SurveyMonkey's April 2026 study of 1,925 US workers, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. ## You're one click away... As a member, you get complete, ungated access. Get the full benchmark data, 3 case studies, and the question sets your team can use before its next launch, survey, or positioning decision. If your team uses AI to draft research plans, messaging, or customer insights, this report shows where the misses start: in the questions nobody asked at the beginning. Half of workers say they've redone work for exactly that reason. Every number comes from SurveyMonkey's April 2026 study of 1,925 US workers, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. [Give me my copy](#download) ![](https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/assets/img/reports/decal-5.svg)