What the evidence means
The denominator is businesses handling digitised data. The UK Business Data Survey interviewed 4,450 businesses between October 2025 and January 2026.
Conditional estimate among businesses handling digitised data.
G&G verified business evidence
Awareness of the ICO among UK businesses handling digitised data
In 2025 to 2026, 62% of UK businesses handling digitised data knew what the Information Commissioner’s Office was.
62
percent
Original source
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
UK Business Data Survey 2026
The data-protection section reports that 62% knew what the ICO was.
View original evidence
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. UK Business Data Survey 2026. 18th of June, 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-business-data-survey-2026/uk-business-data-survey-2026
Why this matters to UK SMEs
Most SMEs now handle digitised data, so knowing the role of the Information Commissioner’s Office is a basic governance capability rather than a specialist concern. The awareness gap is particularly relevant to smaller firms that may not employ dedicated compliance staff.
Key breakdowns
Among businesses handling digitised data, 62% had heard of the ICO and knew what it was, 17% had heard of it but did not know what it was, and 21% had not heard of it. Awareness was 56% among microbusinesses and 73% among large businesses. Finance and insurance recorded 94% awareness.
How to interpret this evidence
The result measures recognition and self-reported understanding of the regulator. It does not show whether a business understands its legal obligations, has appropriate controls, or complies with data-protection law. The size gap suggests that access to compliance knowledge differs between organisations.
Limitations
The denominator is the 4,090 surveyed businesses that handled digitised data, not every UK business. Results are weighted survey estimates and awareness was self-reported. Agriculture was excluded from published sector results because its sample was too small. Knowing what the ICO is should not be treated as a compliance assessment.
Practical considerations
G&G perspective: owners should identify which personal data the business holds, why it is used, who can access it and where authoritative ICO guidance applies. Record responsibility for routine data-protection decisions even when the role is part-time, and use the ICO as a primary reference rather than relying on informal summaries.