- More than half of UK adults feel uncomfortable interacting with robots on a daily basis
- Limited exposure sparks anxiety, with only 30% of Brits encountering robots
- Domestic robots arouse the greatest reluctance, particularly in domestic environments
More than half of British adults say they feel uncomfortable around robots, making the UK the most robot-anxious country in the world.
A survey by Hexagon across nine markets, involving 18,000 participants, found that 52% of respondents in the UK were concerned about potential problems when interacting with robots.
This figure is higher than the global average of 42%, which experts partly link to many Britons’ limited exposure to robots.
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Limited exposure fuels public concern
Low exposure may be the cause of this anxiety, as only 30% of Britons say they have ever encountered a robot in their daily life, compared to 75% in China.
Brits express their greatest reluctance towards the home environment, with 39% saying they feel uncomfortable around robots in a home environment.
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 high anxiety levels, with 53% citing the risk of bots being hacked or misused as their main concern.
Some Britons (41%) also worry that robots will malfunction and cause physical harm.
Observers note that fear often diminishes once people encounter a robot in person, especially smaller, accessible models.
“Across the world, people are not just pro or anti-robot. They are wondering where robots fit in, what they should do, and what protective measures should take precedence,” said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO at Hexagon.
“In the UK, the message is particularly clear: trust lags when robots feel distant or unfamiliar. Trust collapses when robots are pushed into everyday or domestic roles before governance, safeguards and human control are clearly in place.”
Like robots, Brits don’t want data centers near them, although domestic support for expansion remains high.
A YouGov survey of more than 2,100 UK adults reveals that only 44% of Gen Z respondents support a local data center, with 31% actively opposing it, even though national support for new facilities is at 69%.
Much of the opposition among young voters is driven by environmental considerations, including concerns about energy and water consumption.
While there are arguments about job creation and potential economic benefits, they are not enough to outweigh environmental concerns.
This “not in my backyard” attitude means local realities could conflict with wider national priorities, as the UK plans to more than double its data center capacity by 2030.
Whether it is robotics or data infrastructure, trust emerges as a central barrier, strongly influencing public perception, acceptance and resistance.
Britons might embrace automation in areas where the benefits are clear, including carrying out dangerous tasks or improving efficiency.
But reluctance persists when technologies are little known or perceived as threatening control.
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