Decision-Making and Digital Systems 2026 (Dataset, n= 358)

This dataset is part of the Human Clarity Institute’s Human–AI Experience 2026 data series. It examines how people experience decision-making, autonomy, confidence, and reliance when interacting with digital and AI-enabled systems in everyday life, including perceived clarity, cognitive effort, and shifts in personal capability.The dataset includes:• validated 1–7 Likert-scale items• measures of decision-making clarity, confidence, and overwhelm• indicators of reliance on digital and automated systems for thinking and decision support• measures of perceived autonomy, independence, and epistemic confidence• self-reported change over the past year in focus, control, and wellbeing• demographic variables across six English-speaking countriesData were collected on 4 February 2026 via Prolific from adults in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand.All data were cleaned, anonymised, and processed under the Human Clarity Institute’s machine-readable dataset protocol, which includes:• canonical snake_case variable naming• validated numeric ranges and response scales• standardised demographic and categorical encodings• full alignment with the accompanying data dictionary• removal of participant identifiers and timestamps• SHA-256 checksums for all filesThis dataset contributes to understanding how decision-making processes are shaped in digitally mediated environments, supporting longitudinal tracking of autonomy, cognitive reliance, and human agency as AI systems become increasingly embedded in everyday life.