Thread by @CDEIUK

1/14 We commissioned @DeltapollUK to conduct a longitudinal survey between June-December 2020, with a representative sample of over 12,000 people, to better understand #publicattitudes towards the use of #datadriventechnology during COVID-19. See below for key findings 👇

2/14 Unsurprisingly, people reported that their use of technology has increased since the start of COVID-19. This finding was consistent across demographics and the 6-month period. Individuals indicated that they were planning on using this technology in the long-term.

3/14 Despite the increase in the use of technologies, the proportion of the UK public who had taken proactive measures to manage their data or online experience was fairly low, with 26% of the population saying they had done none of the protective measures listed.

4/14 We found significant public support for the use of data-driven technology. Almost three quarters (72%) of the UK population felt that digital technology had the potential to be used in the response to COVID-19. This sentiment was shared across demographic groups.

5/14 A majority of the public (average 69%) also showed support, in principle, for a number of specific use-cases - including technologies that have not been widely adopted - such as wearable technology to aid social distancing in the workplace.

6/14 There was a high level of perceived usefulness of the three use-cases tested. Of these use-cases, there was highest support for the use of personal data to inform local lockdowns. This fell, alongside the other two use-cases, in late 2020.

7/14 Despite the public support we have seen, many respondents felt that the potential of data-driven technology was not being fully realised. Less than half (42%) said digital technology was making the situation in the UK better (only 7% claimed it was making matters worse).

8/14 Respondents cited concerns about whether people and organisations would be able to use technology properly (39%). This was more than double the number who pointed to problems with the technology itself (17%).

9/14 This points to an opportunity gap - a disconnect between support for technology’s potential, and the extent of its current application.

10/14 Another key finding was the link between trust in governance and support for the use of technology. We found that trust in governance is the single biggest predictor of whether someone will support the use of digital technology.

11/14 When controlling for all other variables, trust in governance was substantially more predictive than attitudinal variables such as people's level of concern about the pandemic or belief that technology would be effective; and demographic variables such as age and education.

12/14 While a reasonable proportion of the public (43%) trust that the right governance is in place to ensure that digital technology is used responsibly in the UK’s COVID-19 response, nearly a quarter (24%) disagreed.

13/14 This analysis suggests the critical importance of building and maintaining trustworthy governance that earns the confidence of citizens over the long-term.

14/14 Both the report and raw data can be found here: tinyurl.com/4mbvj86w