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In Britain, there is a stark urban-rural divide in how Britons perceive the merits of new technologies. Urban centres, London especially, stand out as being more optimistic about how technology can benefit them.
Rural and post-industrial parts of Britain, and most of Wales and Scotland, take a more sceptical view on new technology and are more likely to think that change is happening too fast.
These are tech promoters despite doubts – they want more new technology even though they are unsure of its benefits.
E.g. Barrow and Furness, Bolton West, Halifax
This group are supportive optimists who think technology does more good than harm and want to spread it further.
E.g. Battersea, Birmingham Ladywood, Cambridge
These are sceptics who think technology does more harm than good and don’t want to spread it further.
E.g. Merthyr Tydfil, North East Fife, Clacton
These are cautious optimists – they see technology as good overall but are hesitant to spread it further.
E.g. Ely and East Cambridgeshire, North Cotswolds, East Surrey
Our research has shown some general trends across the country:
Britons understand technology in terms of how it directly affects their lives, and can more easily point to material, practical uses of technology, rather than more abstract ideas of how it could affect their mental health, or society more broadly. Britons overwhelmingly think that technology has positively affected the way they shop (65 per cent), get their news (61 per cent), and dealing with bills and banking (60 per cent). Wider social or community participation is something Britons are less sure about, although generally still mostly positive, with 41 per cent saying tech had a positive impact and just 11 per cent saying it had a negative one.
Although many will argue that the internet and social media have led to social atomisation and loneliness, Britons are far more likely to say that technology makes them feel connected to others, especially among the younger generations.
Overall, Britons tend to think that new technology is improving life and solving problems for them. For most it has become a fact of daily life - the majority of people use technology to send money, book tickets, or look up recipes for example. Half of the public use it to book a GP appointment or pay council tax.
The digital world is becoming increasingly familiar for Britons, but AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a new frontier for most, and is where we see a stronger divide between young and old. Gen Z are twice as likely as the rest of the public to use AI to learn, create, write, or even provide emotional support. Older generations, meanwhile, say that they use AI sparingly if at all - which is explained by, and perhaps feeds into, their greater suspicion for the emerging technology.
Britons can see clear use cases for AI, but they have their red lines. The public are positive about AI being used to support professionals in their roles (e.g. helping doctors make diagnoses, or helping the military identify targets). But they have red lines, particularly when it comes to AI making significant decisions about people or replacing people entirely (e.g. being the sole point of contact for medical advice, or making decisions about use of lethal force with drones).
A third of Britons think that employers should have the most say over how new technologies are introduced in the workplace, while another quarter think it should be workers and trade unions who decide.
Britons are wary of having the government or tech companies take charge of how automation and new technologies are used in workplaces.
Despite declining trust in institutions in Britain, public services are who Britons would trust most to serve their best interests with new technologies.
The NHS, scientists, schools and universities are more trusted by Britons in implementing new technologies. This trust for public services is likely linked to how Britons appreciate technological advancements in areas that they interact with regularly for essential things they need - doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, classrooms and homework for children - while the case for AI in more nebulous concepts like economic growth is a less compelling message for the public.
The public are more sceptical about leaving control in the hands of the government, large tech companies, and social media platforms.
Voters of different parties have varying sentiments about who to trust with new tech. Labour voters stand out as being more trusting with new technologies across the board, while Reform supporters are less trusting than their peers with all institutions to implement new tech, but especially Ofcom, universities and the EU.
Overall, the public do feel that the pace of change is too fast. The majority of Britons say that technological change is happening either a little or much too fast, and this sentiment is particularly high among Conservative and Reform voters.
The public’s priorities with new tech again reflect the importance they place on technology being a benefit to their personal lives. Protecting children from harm online, stopping new forms of fraud, making the NHS more efficient, creating more jobs and protecting Britons from job losses via automation rank among the most important priorities for the public. hey feel that improving the NHS and protecting from job losses have not seen enough progress from the government. Meanwhile, developing “world-leading AI” is of less importance to Britons, yet they feel this has received undue attention from the country’s leaders.
Protecting children from harm is notable for how voters of all parties consider it to be the top priority. Despite the backlash the government and Ofcom recently received over implementation of the Online Safety Act, the public will support well-intentioned efforts to insulate children from abuse, exploitation and harmful content online.
Modernising public services and bringing them online is an easy way for the government to win over the public. Medical services in particular are seen as being behind the curve at the moment, and three in ten Britons think the most beneficial changes would be making their full NHS records accessible and streamlining the process of booking NHS and GP appointments online or via the NHS app.
After a global pandemic, a decade of political chaos and rising public anxiety about the cost of living and national security, Britons are increasingly fragmented, and public opinion can no longer be mapped along left-right lines. The More in Common British Seven segments looks at the deeper attitudes that really shape how people think and feel, and sorts the population into groups, based on patterns in what people believe, trust, worry about and hope for.
Britons’ varying attitudes towards emerging technologies can be partly explained by the Seven Segments.
You can read more about the Seven Segments here.
They are nearly as likely to vote Green as Labour, and in Scotland overwhelmingly support the SNP.
Where they typically live: Big cities and university towns, especially London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh; high concentrations of graduates and young urban professionals.
Top concerns: Inequality, redistribution, cost of living, climate change, and protecting vulnerable groups.
Progressive Activists are noteworthy for how they align with other liberal segments on their confidence with using technology, but diverge on attitudes towards the tech sector, AI and automation. While Progressive Activists are the second most likely segment to describe themselves as ‘tech savvy’ after Established Liberals, they are much more in line with Rooted Patriots, Traditional Conservatives and Dissenting Disruptors in their low trust of how technology is used by the government and big business. They are also much less likely to say they regularly use AI for day-to-day tasks than Established Liberals or the Incrementalist Left.
They are still most likely to vote Labour, though support has softened and some drift toward other parties remains.
Where they typically live: Towns and midsize cities across the UK; mixed-income neighbourhoods; many long-time Labour voters.
Top concerns: Cost of living, economic stability, support for public services, and moderate redistribution.
The Incrementalist are another tech-savvy segment which strongly feels the benefits of technology in their day-to-day: in online shopping, accessing government services (tax, NHS, passports), and are generally one of the more enthusiastic segments about accelerating and expanding new technologies.
They now lean more toward Labour than at any time since 2010, with minimal support for Reform and some continuing openness to the Liberal Democrats.
Where they typically live: Affluent suburbs, commuter belts, and prosperous towns such as those around London, the Home Counties, and parts of the South West.
Top concerns: Cost of living, business stability, consumer protections, and maintaining good public services. They are one of the most financially comfortable groups and among the least affected by cost-of-living cuts
Established Liberals are the segment which mostly clearly aligns with the government’s agenda on tech and growth. They are tech-savvy, use AI in their personal and professional lives, and believe technology is beneficial and should be spread as fast as possible. Their high trust of institutions and the market mean that they would be happy to see more technology in the hands of government service providers and private companies alike.
They are the least likely to vote at all, but among those who do, support has shifted from Labour toward Reform UK, which they are now more likely to back.
Where they typically live: Big cities and lower-income urban neighbourhoods; younger renters; digitally immersed.
Top concerns: Cost of living, distrust of institutions, a sense the system doesn’t work for ordinary people, and moderate support for reducing inequality.
Sceptical Scrollers are typically more online than the average Briton, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally on board with accelerating the use of technology across Britain. Digitally-native in many ways, they are also the segment most likely to say that using technology often makes them feel lonely or isolated.
Having deserted the Conservatives in 2024, they are now pivotal to Reform UK, whose fortunes will depend heavily on whether this group continues shifting in its direction.
Where they typically live: English towns and smaller cities; strong local identities; often in the Midlands, North, and coastal communities.
Top concerns: Cost of living, fairness for working people, immigration control, and scepticism toward elites and big business. They are frequent users of benefits but strict about who “deserves” them.
Rooted Patriots tend not to have strong feelings on technology one way or another, but ultimately want new tech to make their lives easier. This is a segment which, along with the Incrementalist Left, are most interested in seeing new tech making public services easier to use, and for more protections to be put in place to prevent harming children or defrauding people. They are also the segment most likely to point to “saving me money” as a potential upside of new technologies.
They are now most likely to vote Reform UK, with the Conservatives in second place, as many view Reform as the more authentically conservative party.
Where they typically live: Older, settled, suburban and semi-rural areas, especially in southern England.
Top concerns: Cost of living, immigration and border control, waste in public spending, and scepticism about welfare recipients.
Traditional Conservatives are generally warm to the idea of new technology being a boon to businesses and help grow the economy. More than any other segment, they are most likely to trust new tech being in the hands of large companies instead of the government or public services. A primary concern for Traditional Conservatives, too, is keeping personal costs low.
They form the core of Reform UK’s support and are overwhelmingly likely to back Reform when they choose to vote.
Where they typically live: Post-industrial towns, lower-income areas, former Labour–Brexit strongholds in the Midlands and North.
Top concerns: Cost of living, being left behind economically, fairness for working people, scepticism that the system is “rigged,” and frustration about mismanagement and taxes. They are the most likely to have fallen behind on bills or relied on borrowing.
Dissenting Disruptors will be challenging to win over on new technologies. They stand out from the other segments in how distrusting they are of placing new tech in the hands of the government, all public services, and private companies alike. They tend to be particularly sceptical about child safety with new technologies, and lean towards preventing harm at the expense of technological progress.
