Explore changing public attitudes to health data, including awareness, trust, support, security, choice and control.
The UK Patient Data Sentiment Tracker monitors public awareness, confidence and attitudes towards the use of health data. Commissioned by Understanding Patient Data and conducted by Kantar, it has been carried out across four waves: July 2025 (pilot), March 2026, May 2026 and September 2026.
This dashboard presents findings from the latest wave and shows how attitudes have changed over time.
The September 2026 findings point to a more cautious and uncertain public sentiment. Awareness and support have declined across the three uses of health data explored, while confidence in NHS data security and support for partnerships with external organisations have also fallen. However, most people remain comfortable with their health data being used under the right conditions, and support for specific national initiatives is more stable.
For detailed findings, please see the accompanying documents.
Awareness and support for health data use
Public awareness and support differ depending on how health data is used. Our survey asks about health data use for planning and improving service; medical research; and developing and improving digital tools to support patient care.
Both awareness and support across the three use-cases have declined, while uncertainty has generally risen.
The charts below show that while percentage of people supportive of the three uses of health data has declined, percentage of people feeling uncertain has risen.
Support has also declined across all external organisations NHS works with to understand and make better use of patient data. Support is lowest for technology companies (including AI and data analytics firms) and other public sector and government organisations (outside the NHS).
Support for national initiatives is comparatively stable, with strongest support for a single joined-up NHS patient record.
Confidence in data security
Confidence that NHS can keep people's health data secure has fallen since the tracker began, while the percentage of people who are not sure has risen.
Comfort with people’s own health data being used
Most people remain comfortable with their own health data being used, but their comfort is often conditional. Only one in ten was not comfortable with their own health data being used.
Opting out
The National Data Opt-Out allows people in England to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for purposes beyond their individual care.
The tracker explores whether people believe they have opted out, and how likely they are to opt out in future. While the overall percentage of people reporting opt-out has remained fairly stable, there has been an increase in people who are unsure whether they have opted out, and a decrease of people who said they didn't know they could opt out, and people who knew they could opt out but chose not to.
Self-reported opt-out rates are consistently much higher than official National Data Opt-Out rates. While there are other ways to opt out (local and individual programme level opt outs and this can account for some of the discrepancy), a majority has claimed to have opted out via NHS.uk or the NHS App, which would indicate a National Data Opt-out.
Uncertainty about future opt-out is growing. More are unsure whether they will opt out in future, while fewer say that opting out is unlikely.