87% Of Brits Know Little About Data Centres Despite Using Them Every Day

Millions of people use data centres every day but very few actually know what they are or what they do. SEC Newgate did some research and found that 89% of UK adults know little or nothing about data centres. Within that group, 14% said they had never heard of them at all.

That finding is just so fascinating because data centres literally power so many services people use every day. They store, process and manage digital activity with so many different industries and facets of modern day lifestyles.

Sending an email, making a bank transfer, scrolling through social media, saving a file to the cloud and watching programmes through streaming services all depend on data centres.

But still, many Brits do not know that those activities are working thanks to data centres. According to the research, 69% knew cloud storage platforms use data centres and 63% associate them with AI.

When it comes to recognising the part data centres play in other services, only 53% know that data centres work with online banking, 53% with social media, 52% with hospitals, 50% with email services and 47% with online shopping websites.

Why Do People Know So Little About Something They Use Everyday?

For years, data centres operated away from the public eye and the SEC Newgate report found that people only get to learn about data centres through online news, television, social media and conversations with friends, family members and colleagues. Information comes from many different sources, which helps explain low awareness.

Online news was the most frequently mentioned source, cited by 49% of respondents.

The research found that public opinion has not fully settled. Of the people who had heard of data centres, 54% said it was important for the UK to build more of them.

Only 35% said they felt positive about data centres, while 38% say their feelings are neutral.

A lack of understanding seems to explain much of that hesitation.

When SEC Newgate gave respondents basic factual information about what data centres do and why they are needed, opinions changed substantially. Positive sentiment came up from 35% to 61%.

Support for building more data centres came up from 54% to 73%. Meanwhile, 79% backed the government’s decision to classify data centres as Critical National Infrastructure.

Why Are People Worried About Data Centres?

AI shapes a lot of the public conversation around data centres with 76% of respondents believe data centres are being built because of excessive use of AI.

The report found that people who hold negative opinions about data centres are also much more likely to feel worried about AI.

Questions on the environmental impact are also a big influencer of people’s attitudes towards data centres.

According to the survey, 67% believe data centres use too much power. A further 55% are worried about pressure on water resources and 53% think increasing the number of data centres conflicts with the UK’s net zero ambitions.

Employment also features in the debate. Seven in ten respondents said data centres do not employ many people once operational when measured against their size.

Questions around local development create division too. SEC Newgate found that 60% would accept more data centres in their local area because they are essential for the UK’s future growth. Four in ten would reject them even when national benefits were explained.

Can The Knowledge Gap Be Closed?

The findings show that information can make quite the difference.

Knowledge gaps extend beyond the public. Local councillors who make planning decisions also report low familiarity with data centres.

Only 22% of planning committee councillors said they were familiar with data centre planning applications. Data centres received lower acceptance than any other non office employment development category included in the research.

Councillors who understood data centre applications better were much more accepting of them.

Leyla Hart-Svensson, Managing Director of Insight & Intelligence at SEC Newgate, said, “Data centres are now critical national infrastructure, yet this research shows we haven’t built a shared public understanding of what they are, why they matter or how they fit into everyday life. That gap is significant at a moment when the UK is making major decisions about digital growth, because confidence and consent are not automatic – they have to be earned.

“What we are seeing is not a public that is opposed to data centres, but a public whose views are still forming, and increasingly shaped by, wider anxieties about technology and artificial intelligence. Data centres are no longer invisible infrastructure, as they sit at the intersection of debates about energy, trust and the future of the digital economy. How those debates are framed now will shape acceptance for years to come.”

Venessa Moffat, Managing Director of the Data Centre Alliance, said, “One of the most striking findings of this research is that unfamiliarity with data centres extends beyond local communities to those making planning decisions.

“What is encouraging, however, is that attitudes become significantly more positive when people are engaged early, given clear information and can see how developments will deliver meaningful local benefits. As demand for digital infrastructure grows, trust, transparency and genuine community engagement will be essential to securing long-term public confidence and planning support.”