Behavioural insights research reveals Government data priorities

Data strategy has long been a central pillar of the UK government’s transformation agenda, but when the time comes to make trade-offs, not every data topic receives equal priority.

At the 2025 Government Transformation Summit, over 200 senior public servants faced a simple but telling challenge: choose which one-hour peer discussions they would attend from a crowded agenda of over 100 sessions. These weren’t passive webinars or content downloads. Each decision was a deliberate investment of time and attention.

This revealed which data themes truly command action rather than conversation. The results cut through the noise of white papers and conference panels, offering a behavioural snapshot of where the public sector is ready to invest effort, budget and political capital.

What leaders really prioritise

Four themes consistently topped the priority rankings:

• Data sharing
• Data optimisation
• Data visualisation and access
• Data interoperability

Taken together, these represent the active demand for data capability in government. They point to a shift away from data as a governance overhead towards data as a live operational backbone.

Departments are signalling that unlocking data across silos is no longer optional. Visualisation and access are front-line priorities, not just analyst concerns, reflecting a demand for tools that get insight into the hands of decision-makers more quickly.

Other topics showed strong interest but less urgency. Culture and capability, real-time analysis and cross-government insight were frequently selected but ranked lower when DDaT leaders had to choose. These are important but harder to fund and deliver, suggesting they may surface as future priorities once technical blockers are removed.

Why this matters

For digital and data leaders, this behavioural data shows where peers are most prepared to act. For tech suppliers and delivery partners, it offers a practical go-to-market guide. The priorities are grounded in operational reality. As one Head of Data Rransformation put it:

“We’re finally moving from data as governance overhead to data as operational backbone. Integration and access are now delivery issues, not just IT ones.”

This is the story of a maturing public sector data landscape. Leaders are looking for interoperable systems, faster access to insight and solutions that enable live, responsive decision-making rather than static reporting.

Different priorities at different levels

The research highlights a clear split between senior leaders and delivery managers.

Senior leaders – directors, DGs and CxOs – prioritise enablers such as interoperability, cross-government insight and governance reform. Their focus is on long-term system change, building trust and aligning data with policy objectives.

Delivery managers, meanwhile, are focused on visualisation, optimisation and data quality management. Their priority is to unblock access, improve accuracy and make dashboards genuinely useful for frontline services.

Practitioners such as analysts and product owners want faster, simpler access to the data they need, with less manual effort. Real-time analysis and automated data management are high on their list.

For anyone seeking to influence or support data strategy, this underlines the importance of tailoring the message. Senior leaders respond to narratives about trust, accountability and systemic impact. Delivery leads want quick wins, low-friction tools and measurable efficiency gains.

Different organisations face different pressures

Organisational context also shapes data priorities. Central government departments are focused on breaking down silos, aligning standards and creating shared insight across departmental boundaries. They face the greatest political and regulatory scrutiny, so solutions that demonstrate interoperability, trust and platform readiness are most likely to land.

Arms-length bodies are custodians of large datasets and carry heavy reporting responsibilities. They prioritise data quality management, automation and cross-government functions to meet compliance requirements with limited budgets.

Local authorities are most interested in practical tools that make data visible and actionable for frontline services. Dashboards, real-time analysis and predictive analytics are seen as essential for making decisions under fiscal pressure and with limited analytical resource.

The hidden priorities

Not every urgent issue is widely discussed. Some themes ranked lower for overall interest but scored high when they were chosen, suggesting pockets of intense need.

Data quality management is a prime example. It may not be headline-grabbing, but for those wrestling with AI readiness or compliance reporting it is mission-critical. Similarly, open data and service improvement are often seen as enablers rather than standalone priorities, but they remain crucial for transparency and citizen trust.

Where the conversation is heading

Some topics, such as generative AI and digital twins, remain more theoretical at this stage, appearing in the “speculative noise” category. But their repeated selection across departments indicates early curiosity.

These are areas where vendors, innovators and policy teams have an opportunity to shape the agenda before budgets are committed. By offering framing workshops, diagnostic tools and compelling use cases, early movers can help define ownership and make these themes investable.

The bottom line

The message from this research is clear: the public sector is serious about making data work harder, connect faster and deliver more value.

Government leaders are focused on integration, interoperability and access. They are seeking solutions that remove friction, break down silos and translate data into better decisions.

For digital leaders, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. The demand signal is no longer about visionary strategies alone, but about execution. The winners will be those who can turn data strategy into delivery reality – helping teams move from dashboards to decisions and from interest to intent.

Download the Data Behavioural Insights research and the companion reports covering Transformation and AI via the banner below.