Public perception of data centres positive, says survey

A total of 93% of people have said they either feel positively (51%) or neutral (42%) about them, and that positivity increased among participants who know they have a data centre near them.

Data centres are set to arguably become more popular and commonplace, as the power consumption from AI operations calls for specific facilities capable of handling this load. However, the access to reliable power and land capable of housing these facilities are not only creating challenges, but causing concerns in certain communities about their presence - which CyrusOne has said is due to misunderstanding about data centres and their purposes. Reportedly, 52% selected the accurate explanation in the survey.

Those surveyed also didn’t draw a connection between data centres and the digital services they use on a digital basis. When asked what infrastructure and technologies were needed to power digital applications - such as WhatsApp, social media and video conferencing tools - fewer than half (45%) chose data centres.

There were also significant variations in public understanding and opinions between and within markets. People’s understanding of what data centres do was lower in the UK, with 38% choosing the correct definition (although this definition has not been provided by CyrusOne), compared with 66% in Germany and the Netherlands and Ireland at 60%.

“Data centres are the backbone of how we live and work today, but the degree to which they support our society is still largely misunderstood by the general public, as our research demonstrates,” said Matt Pullen, EVP, Managing Director Europe at CyrusOne. “Misconceptions ultimately lead to mistrust, and this is why developing a sound understanding of public attitudes to data centres is critical to ensure that we can continue to provide state of the art infrastructure for the businesses that depend upon us and deliver meaningful benefits to our host communities. This was our impetus to conduct the survey and why we are sharing the findings so broadly.”

The research shows that the economic benefits that data centres can deliver are the most important to respondents, with two thirds (66%) agreeing that they bring value through job opportunities and 62% agreeing that they contribute to economic growth in the local area. This increases to 71% and 68% respectively among those who have a data centre located nearby.

There was also a correlation found between economic dividends and public acceptance. 83% of those who strongly agree data centres bring value through job opportunities would be willing to have a data centre located in their area, as would 85% who strongly agree they bring value through economic growth.

49% of people surveyed agree that investment in related projects, such as parks and playgrounds, is a benefit that data centres bring. This number rises to 58% amongst those living near a data centre.

According to the research, the positive sentiment directed towards data centres demonstrably outweighs the negative. The negative impacts listed were the impact of high energy use (33%), creation of electronic waste (33%), and land use (30%).

When people were asked what would make them feel more positive about data centres, the vast majority of respondents (83%) are open-minded and receptive to changing their perspective about data centres.

Leading factors that could contribute to changing public perception - from negative to positive - concluded increasing job opportunities would have the greatest impact in making people feel more positive (40%), and amenities (37%) such as biodiverse spaces.

“It’s clear from the research that public opinion of data centres is more positive than expected and that perhaps the sector is not always presented in a way that accurately portrays how people really perceive the sector,” concluded Emma Fryer, Director of Public Policy, Europe at CyrusOne. “It is therefore really important that we, as developers and operators, listen carefully to people in our host communities, while continuing to educate, identify their needs and act accordingly to deliver meaningful local benefits.” 

Knowing a data centre development would create broader economic growth for the local area would make 31% of respondents  more willing to have one in their local community; this followed by hiring local people for construction and operations (27%) and providing training and apprenticeship opportunities for local people (23%).