Attention & Focus under Digital Load 2026 (Dataset)
Dataset summary: A de-identified open dataset (n=353) examining how digitally active adults experience sustained attention, cognitive load, interruption recovery, and disengagement behaviour when engaging with digital and AI-mediated information environments.
Measures include validated 1–7 Likert-scale instruments assessing attention stability, frequency of digital interruption, recovery difficulty after disruption, mental saturation, effort escalation, and behavioural persistence despite cognitive strain, alongside standard demographic variables.
Part of the Human Clarity Institute’s Human–AI Experience Data Series.
Framework
HRL domain(s): Agency & Decision Autonomy, Trust & Epistemic Stability, Attention & Cognitive Load
Registry construct alignment: Decision dependence, Trust calibration, Attention capacity
Listed constructs reflect longitudinal, registry-mapped item alignment and do not represent the full thematic scope of this dataset.
Dataset Availability
Participant-level dataset downloads are temporarily unavailable while the Human Clarity Institute completes an independent privacy and data governance review.
This reflects our ongoing commitment to responsible data stewardship, contemporary de-identification standards, and participant privacy.
Study methodology, summary findings, benchmark statistics, and citation information remain publicly available through this website and the permanent Zenodo record.
Researchers, universities, and organisations interested in accessing a dataset or discussing research collaboration are welcome to contact info@humanclarityinstitute.com.
Citation & Dataset Record
The Zenodo DOI provides the permanent scholarly record for this dataset, including version history, metadata, and citation information.
Citation
APA
Human Clarity Institute. (2026). Attention & Focus under Digital Load 2026 (Dataset). Human Clarity Institute. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18617930
BibTeX
@dataset{hci_attention_focus_digital_load_2026,
author = {Human Clarity Institute},
title = {Attention & Focus under Digital Load 2026 (Dataset)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.18617930},
url = {https://humanclarityinstitute.com/datasets/attention-focus-digital-load-2026/},
license = {CC-BY-4.0}
}
License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
You are free to share, adapt, and build upon publicly available HCI datasets for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given to the Human Clarity Institute.
Full license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Data Summary
Explore the key findings and behavioural signals from this dataset.
Methodology
This dataset forms part of the Human Clarity Institute's Human–AI Experience research programme, examining how digital environments shape sustained attention, cognitive load, interruption recovery, and behavioural persistence under conditions of information overload. The study uses a cross-sectional online survey design and focuses on descriptive patterns in attention stability, mental saturation, recovery following digital interruption, effort escalation, and disengagement behaviour in digitally mediated environments.
Data were collected via the Prolific research platform on 10 February 2026 from adults across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand. Participants provided informed consent for their de-identified survey responses to be publicly released for research purposes.
Sampling & Participants
- Final sample: 353 participants
- Sampling countries: Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand
- Eligibility: Adults (18+)
- Recruitment platform: Prolific
The resulting dataset should be interpreted as a non-probability convenience sample and is not intended to represent national populations.
Data Integrity
All percentages reported on this page are calculated from valid responses in the cleaned dataset (n = 353). Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number for readability. Unless otherwise stated, summary percentages combine respondents selecting 5–7 on the 7-point agreement scale.
Public release datasets undergo structured de-identification prior to publication. Direct identifiers, participant IDs, timestamps, geographic variables, and participant free-text responses are removed or transformed where appropriate to reduce re-identification risk while preserving research utility.
This dataset is exploratory and descriptive in nature. It does not support causal inference and results should be interpreted as observed patterns within the survey sample.
Data use and reuse terms are outlined in our Data Use & Disclaimer.
Related Research
Explore further analysis on Human Clarity Insights, or browse the full collection of Human Clarity Institute research reports.
Why Can’t I Focus?
Why Can’t I Focus? examines the hidden costs of digital distraction and how continual interruption competes with attention, reflection, and clarity about what matters most.
Values vs Noise
Values vs Noise explores how digitally saturated environments compete with attention, reflection, and internally guided priorities — shaping coherence, direction, and meaningful human functioning over time.