Brits admit they feel uneasy around robots and local data centers, revealing surprising distrust despite national technology support
- Over half of UK adults feel uneasy interacting with robots daily
- Limited exposure drives anxiety, with only 30% of Britons ever meeting robots
- Domestic robots spark the strongest reluctance, especially in home environments
More than half of British adults say they feel uneasy around robots, making the UK the most robot-anxious nation globally.
A survey by Hexagon across nine markets, involving 18,000 participants, found 52% of UK respondents were concerned about potential problems when interacting with robots.
This is higher than the global average of 42%, which experts link partly to the limited exposure many Britons have to robots.
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Limited exposure fuels public concern
Low exposure may be driving the anxiety, as only 30% of Britons report ever encountering a robot in daily life, while the figure is 75% in China.
Britons express their strongest reluctance in home environments, with 39% stating they feel uncomfortable about robots in domestic settings.
In industrial applications, such as factories and warehouses, robots are slightly more accepted, but comfort levels remain below the global average.
Security concerns are the main reason for the high anxiety levels, with 53% citing the risk of robots being hacked or misused as their top worry.
Some Britons (41%) also fear that robots may malfunction and cause physical harm.
Observers note that fear often diminishes once people meet a robot in person, particularly smaller, approachable models.
“Across the world, people aren’t simply pro-robot or anti-robot. They’re asking where robots belong, what they should do, and what safeguards must come first,” said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO at Hexagon.
“In the UK, the message is especially clear: confidence lags when robots feel distant or unfamiliar. Trust breaks down when robots are pushed into everyday or domestic roles before governance, safeguards, and human control are clearly in place.”
Like robots, Britons do not want data centers anywhere near them, although national support for expansion remains high.
A survey of over 2,100 UK adults by YouGov reveals that only 44% of Gen Z respondents support a local data center, and 31% actively oppose one even though national support for new facilities reaches 69%.
Much of the opposition among younger voters is driven by environmental considerations, including concerns over energy consumption and water usage.
Although arguments about job creation and potential economic benefits exist, they are insufficient to outweigh the environmental concerns.
This “not in my backyard” attitude implies that local realities may clash with broader national priorities as the UK plans to more than double data center capacity by 2030.
Across both robotics and data infrastructure, trust emerges as a central barrier, strongly influencing public perception, acceptance, and resistance.
Britons may accept automation in areas where the benefits are clear, including performing hazardous tasks or improving efficiency.
But reluctance persists when technologies are unfamiliar or perceived to threaten control.
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