Public attitudes to data and AI: Tracker survey
The CDEI has published a report detailing the findings from the first wave of its tracker survey, which it has launched to monitor how attitudes towards data and AI vary over time, as well as to assess the drivers of trust in data use.
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Details
The first of its kind, the CDEI’s tracker survey will monitor how public attitudes towards the use of data and data-driven technologies change over time, as well as assess the drivers of trust in data use. The first wave of the survey was conducted in December 2021. It was sent digitally to a nationally representative sample of 4,000 individuals, as well as to 200 individuals without access to the internet via telephone interview, to capture a wide range of views from citizens across the UK. The CDEI will run the survey on a biannual basis going forward. To delve deeper into the drivers of trust in data use and go beyond top-level statistics, the tracker survey incorporates advanced analytics, including a conjoint experiment and segmentation analysis.
Key findings
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People are comfortable with personal data being used for a variety of purposes, particularly when the societal benefit is clear. Most people (81%) are comfortable providing personal data about themselves to the NHS to develop new healthcare treatments, and to government to deliver public services (62%).
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People report feelings of uncertainty about current data practices. Over half of the population (52%) report that they know only a little or nothing about how data about them is used and collected in their day-to-day lives. Respondents also reported feelings of concern about data security. The safety and security of personal data was identified as the largest perceived risk of data use amongst the public.
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Concerns about data use are strongly impacted by the extent to which individuals trust the organisations using data about them, and the degree of data governance in place.
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Respondents reported feeling concerned that the benefits of data and AI use will not be felt equally across society. Whilst 31% thought the benefits of data use would be shared equally, 31% of the population disagreed with this statement. More people believe that AI will have a positive impact on large businesses (48%), compared to smaller businesses (39%) and minority groups (26%).
Next steps
The CDEI has published the raw survey data and a technical guide for the survey through the UK Data Service. It is already working with a range of partners to address the public’s concerns and build a trustworthy environment for data and AI use. This includes a collaboration with the US on a Prize Challenge to accelerate the development of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), and work with the Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office to pilot one of the world’s first standards for algorithmic transparency, which will help government departments and public sector bodies to be meaningfully transparent about how data-driven tools are being used to support decisions.