New research from corporate affairs consultancy SEC Newgate found that 89% of UK adults say they know little or nothing about data centres, with 14% reporting they have never heard of the term at all. Understanding of their applications drops sharply beyond cloud storage: fewer than half of respondents identified that online banking, healthcare systems and email depend on the same facilities.
The knowledge gap is not confined to the public. Among local authority planning committee councillors — the decision-makers responsible for approving or rejecting data centre development applications — only 22% said they were familiar with data centre planning applications. Data centres ranked as the least accepted form of non-office employment land use compared to other infrastructure types.
The research was conducted in March 2026 across two samples: a nationally representative 1,507 adults, and 483 councillors on local authority planning committees across England. The UK government designated data centres as Critical National Infrastructure in 2024.
Attitudes shift when basic information is provided. When respondents were given neutral factual descriptions of what data centres do and why they exist, positive sentiment rose from 35% to 61%, support for new data centre construction increased from 54% to 73%, and 79% backed the government's decision to classify them as Critical National Infrastructure.
The research also shows that data centres have become entangled with wider anxieties about AI. Three-quarters of respondents believe data centres are expanding primarily due to AI demand, and those most negative about data centres were more likely to hold deep concerns about AI. The two issues are being processed by the public as a single threat rather than separate policy questions.
Substantive concerns remain. 67% believe data centres consume too much power, 55% are concerned about pressure on water resources, and 66% flag cyber security risks. Support for local development is conditional rather than absolute: 40% say they would not support new data centres in their area, even when national benefits are made explicit.
“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,” said Leyla Hart-Svensson, Managing Director of Insight & Intelligence at SEC Newgate.
Venessa Moffat, Managing Director at the Data Centre Alliance, added: “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.”
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