Nationwide poll shows Americans surfing through a sea of digital dust bunnies

Compass Datacenters’ research signals digital hoarding is a problem Americans lack confidence to address

DALLAS -- One thing is for certain…Americans love their devices. According to a recent nationwide survey commissioned by Compass Datacenters, scrolling supersedes all other options for whittling away time. According to the 1,000-person poll, 63% of Americans spend their free time in the digital sphere, and 77% admit to accumulating more data than they need or are unsure how much is too much.

In a poll conducted between January 21 and February 5, 2025, Americans shared their perspectives on digital accumulation. Here are the results.

The first (and seemingly last) step is recognizing the problem
Most everyone is mindful of the need to delete. Ninety-five percent of survey respondents said they delete unnecessary files at some point to keep their devices functioning. But only 10% of people feel confident doing so. In fact, one-in-three people feel overwhelmed, anxious and stressed by managing digital files.

While the least of their concerns was data privacy (37%), Americans know that too much data eats up storage (80%), threatens device performance (71%), makes it hard to find stuff (44%) and drains the device’s battery (43%).

Despite knowing excessive data is problematic and wanting to do something about it, Americans are all over the map when it comes to solutions. They’re addressing digital file accumulation with varying degrees of success and a fair amount of anxiety, evidenced by their willingness to do most any other chore before dumping data.

A whopping 59% would rather wash dishes than face their digital files. Other preferred activities include getting an annual physical (23%), going to the dentist (22%), and even eating liver and onions (17%). Sprucing up the house, car or yard is a much higher priority.
Americans delete stored photos about as often as they clean out the junk drawer (Admit it…everyone has at least one!) – once or twice per year.
Hesitancy to delete is driven by a fear of deleting something they might need later (42%). Procrastination is also a major culprit (36%).
Almost half (46%) of respondents said they use less than 10 apps per week yet store many more. One-third of Americans store 26 to 50 apps and another 11% store 50 to 100.

Putting a $40,000 band aid on the problem
The data indicate that digital files fall prey to an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality. Digital files are compact, easy to store, and you don’t have to think about them until something fails, making it easy for mess to accumulate without realizing it. And it’s a disturbing trend to see younger generations buying their way out of practicing good digital hygiene.

Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z and Millennials polled say they pay for data storage. That number drops off significantly for Gen X and Boomers.
Of the Gen Z group - 48% pay $1-20 each month. Another 40% pay $20-40 and 11% pay $40-60 monthly for data storage.
Accounting for a 3% inflation rate, assuming a 25-year-old pays $20/month for data storage until the age of 85, they will spend $40,000 over their lifetime on digital storage.

Take the next step
Expert Digital Minimalist Kath Younger has partnered with Compass Datacenters for Earth Day to inspire and assist people in cleaning out their digital closet. Check out www.deletedigitaldustbunnies.com for tips, tricks and small ways to have a large impact on your digital future.

Why Compass Datacenters
A data center developer may seem like an unlikely entity to champion the elimination of digital waste. We’re different like that. At our core, we’re fanatical about zero waste…physical or digital. We believe tidy, sustainable spaces support productivity, safer worksites and all-around positive outcomes.

About Compass Datacenters
Compass Datacenters, one of Inc. Magazine’s 5000 fastest growing companies, designs and constructs data centers for the world’s largest hyperscalers and cloud providers. Through prefabrication and applying modern manufacturing principles to construction, Compass is uniquely able to deliver customizable, scalable, sustainable and low-cost data centers in an expedited time frame. These large-scale, long-lived campuses create economies of scale for customers and local communities. Compass is backed by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Brookfield Infrastructure. For more information, visit www.compassdatacenters.com.

Media Contact:
Katy Hancock
VP, Public Relations
[email protected]