The Usercentrics State of Digital Trust 2026, based on a survey of 11,000 consumers across seven markets, found that on average 40% of UK consumers either refuse an AI access request or say they would stop using the AI entirely if that access was required. The UK rate of 'resigned consent' — granting access despite feeling uncomfortable — stands at 11%, the second lowest of any market surveyed, behind only the US at 10%.
Globally, just 7% of consumers are fully comfortable granting AI access to their data without conditions. Yet 16% say they would grant access despite feeling uncomfortable, meaning reluctant permission is more than twice as common as unconditional comfort. Usercentrics describes this pattern as resigned consent: a yes that conceals underlying discomfort.
Germany presents a contrasting picture. There, 24% of consumers demonstrate resigned consent — more than twice the UK rate — while just 16% refuse outright, compared with 24% in the UK. The findings suggest different national patterns in how discomfort with AI data access is expressed rather than simply in its prevalence.
The sensitivity of data requested has a measurable effect on UK resistance. Refusal rates for everyday work tools stand at 32%, while financial accounts trigger the highest response: 53% of UK consumers refuse AI access to their financial data or say they would stop using the AI entirely if it required that access. Sweden (68%), the Netherlands (63%) and the US (54%) are the only markets with higher financial data refusal rates.
Tilman Harmeling, Staff Strategy and Market Intelligence at Usercentrics, said the findings expose a measurement gap in how businesses assess AI adoption: "An access rate tells a business how many people said yes to AI — it can't tell them how many felt comfortable saying it, and that distinction matters. Reluctant acceptance is a weak foundation for long-term adoption. The lesson isn't to chase the highest access rate, it's to build trust that doesn't need resignation to get a yes."
The research was commissioned by Usercentrics and conducted by Sapio Research. Fieldwork covered the UK, USA, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden in March 2026. Usercentrics processes more than 8.8 billion user consents per month across 2.4 million websites and apps in 195 countries.
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