In recent months American public opinion toward large AI-serving data centers has shifted sharply. While support was more common just over a year ago, several recent polls report substantial and growing opposition to building such facilities near people’s homes.
- A Gallup poll from March found that 71 percent of the U.S. population opposed having these developments in their immediate area.
- Research by the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center showed opposition rising from 49 percent in February–March to 61 percent by August.
- A joint survey by The Economist and YouGov measured 63 percent opposition.
Taken together, these results suggest a rapid increase in local resistance that could affect decisions on new data-center projects across the country.
Political implications: cross-party agreement and voter differences
This is one of the rare issues where substantial agreement appears across party lines: a Reuters–Ipsos poll in June found that 63 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of Democrats oppose building AI data centers in their immediate communities. Nevertheless, there are differences in levels of active support:
- The Public First survey indicates higher support among voters who backed Donald Trump: 37 percent of Trump voters want more data centers.
- Among those who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, fewer than 25 percent expressed that preference.
The pattern implies that, although opposition is strong among both parties, Republicans include a relatively larger share of supporters for such projects. That distribution could carry electoral implications ahead of midterm contests.
International context
A June international survey covering 15 major economies found that the United States showed the highest level of rejection of data centers among the countries surveyed, highlighting particular U.S. sensitivity to the local impacts of these investments.
Why it matters
Local opposition can delay or block planned projects, influence corporate location choices, and elevate infrastructure siting into a political issue. Because the resistance spans a broad social base, policymakers and companies will need to address community concerns on both sides of the political spectrum—especially as such dynamics may affect voter behavior and political outcomes in the near term.
(Polls referenced: Gallup; University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center; The Economist–YouGov; Reuters–Ipsos; Public First.)
