Enhancing the awareness of social responsibility of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), improving the ESG disclosure system, and giving full play to the leading role of SOEs are the inevitable requirements for high-quality economic and social development. Based on the data of China’s A-share state-owned listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2009 to 2022, the study analyzes and examines the impacts and mechanisms of market-oriented allocation of data elements on the fulfillment of ESG responsibilities of state-owned enterprises, using the exogenous shock of the national-level big data comprehensive pilot zone as a quasi-natural experiment. The study finds that, first, with the accelerated improvement of the market-based allocation of data elements, the fulfillment of ESG responsibilities of state-owned enterprises has been strengthened. Second, the market-based allocation of data elements strengthens the fulfilment of the ESG responsibilities of State-owned enterprises, mainly by reducing the level of regional environmental pollution, improving the quality of corporate disclosure and the efficiency of resource allocation. Third, the market-based allocation of data elements has a stronger facilitating effect on ESG responsibility fulfilment for larger state-owned enterprises and non-high-tech state-owned enterprises. Fourth, the market-based allocation of data elements contributes more significantly to the environmental and governance aspects of SOEs.