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AI Chips & Compute

Poll Finds Broad Opposition to AI Data Centers, but No Clear Partisan Edge

Poll finds 61% of likely voters oppose AI data centers, with no clear partisan edge on the issue.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-16 09:18

The opposition crossed party lines unevenly. Among voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024, the split was about even, with 49 percent supporting data center construction and 45 percent opposing it. Voters who backed Kamala Harris were 74 percent opposed, while those who did not vote were 67 percent opposed, according to The Verge.

Among voters who said they opposed data centers, 56 percent supported limits and 38 percent preferred a total ban. The most common reason for opposition was environmental or water usage concerns, cited by 32 percent. Impact on local communities was next at 21 percent, followed by general distrust or dislike of AI at 18 percent, regulation concerns at 10 percent, and the economy at 9 percent.

The Verge noted that an NBC News poll in March showed AI polling lower than ICE, and a Gallup poll in May found seven in ten Americans opposed local construction of AI data centers.

Despite the negative views, AI and data centers ranked low among issues voters considered most important in deciding their midterm vote. In most demographic groups, the issue registered less than 1 percent. The exception was younger voters aged 18-29, where 3 percent picked AI and data centers instead of top responses such as the economy, foreign policy, inflation, and opposition to Trump or Republicans.

Voters in both parties still overwhelmingly chose their own party as the one they trusted to handle the issue. Among 554 respondents, 40 percent favored Democrats, 42 percent favored Republicans, and 18 percent said they did not know or refused to answer, according to The Verge.