- Survey reveals many people still lack key knowledge about what data centers are and what they do
- 89% of UK adults were unfamiliar with data centers and many were uncomfortable with the environmental effects.
- However, attitudes are still forming and could change in the coming years.
New research has found that, despite their growing importance in everyday life (and their growing presence in global headlines), many of us don’t really know what data centers do.
A report from SEC Newgate found that 89% of UK adults were unfamiliar with data centres, and 14% said they had never heard of them, showing a widespread knowledge gap around the facilities.
This is despite growing concerns about data centers around the world, mainly in relation to the environmental effect that new facilities are having, especially when it comes to energy and water use.
Data center knowledge gap
Perhaps most worryingly, SEC Newgate’s findings included a survey of more than 1,500 members of the UK public, along with a separate survey of almost 500 councillors, showing an alarming lack of knowledge among key local decision-makers.
For those who were aware of data centers, their link to AI was the most important factor: three-quarters of respondents believed data centers were expanding due to excessive demand for the technology.
Support for new data centers was also shown to be somewhat conditional, suggesting that many members of the public have not yet made up their minds.
The survey found that when respondents were given factual information explaining what data centers do, how they operate and why they are needed, attitudes changed hugely, with positive sentiment rising from just over a third to more than six in ten (35% to 61%), support for building new data centers increased (from 54% to 73%) and almost eight in ten (79%) backing the government’s decision to classify data centers as National Infrastructure Criticism.
However, as with the global focus on new data center demands, the report showed growing concerns around facilities.
Two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they believe data centers use too much energy, while many also expressed concern about pressure on water resources (55%) and cybersecurity risks (66%).
Overall, 60% said they would welcome more data centers being built in their local area as they are essential to the country’s future growth; However, four in ten (40%) say they would not do it, even when the national benefits are made explicit.
“Data centers are now critical national infrastructure, yet this research shows that we have not built a shared public understanding of what they are, why they are important or how they fit into everyday life,” said Leyla Hart-Svensson, Managing Director of Insight & Intelligence, SEC Newgate.
“That gap is significant at a time when the UK is making important decisions about digital growth, because trust and consent are not automatic: they must be earned. What we are seeing is not a public opposed to data centres, but a public whose opinions are still being formed, and increasingly shaped by, broader anxieties about technology and artificial intelligence. Data centers are no longer an 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 determine acceptance in the coming years.”
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