Poll finds most Americans oppose building AI data centers nearby

Majorities across all political parties expressed opposition to data center construction in their areas, citing costs, resource constraints, and environmental impacts. The post Seven out of 10 Americans oppose local construction of AI data centers appeared first on MS NOW.

A new Gallup survey found that 71% of Americans oppose having an AI data center built near them, making the facilities even less popular than nearby nuclear plants, which 53% oppose. The Register reports: When it comes to the reasons for opposing AI campuses, half of all respondents cite the effect on resources, with excess water usage and potential power grid constraints topping the list. Concern about loss of farmland and nature was surprisingly low, with just 7 percent mentioning this, but it is possible the scores are higher in rural areas. Quality-of-life concerns such as increased traffic were put forward by nearly a quarter, while a fifth mentioned higher utility bills. Many were worried about AI specifically: that it would replace human workers, that they don't trust it, that it is moving too fast, and that the industry needs regulating. Perhaps the latter sentiment is why President Trump appears to have shifted his own position on the need for AI regulations. Conversely, those in favor of datacenters cite economic benefits, with 55 percent mentioning increased job opportunities, and 13 percent saying it is because of increased tax revenues. [...] This being America in 2026, Gallup looked at how attitudes stack up depending on political affiliation. It found that Democrats, at 56 percent, are much more likely than Republicans to be strongly opposed to a server farm in their vicinity. But 39 percent of Republicans are also strongly opposed, while another 24 percent are somewhat averse to it, and only about a third are in favor. Gallup points out the contradiction: for AI usage to expand in the US, facilities that can handle the necessary computing power will have to be built. But most Americans appear to take a "not in my backyard" attitude to new bit barns, and that attitude has grown in strength. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Over 70 percent of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their area, according to a new Gallup survey. Just 7 percent said they were "strongly" in favor of new data centers. According to Gallup, data centers are so strongly disliked that Americans would prefer to live near a nuclear power plant than a data […]

Close to half of Americans are strongly against artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in their area, according to a new poll. In the Gallup poll, 48 percent said they would generally “strongly oppose” building “a data center in your area to support artificial intelligence, or AI, technology in the U.S.” Twenty-three percent said they would...

Seven in 10 U.S. adults responding to a recent Gallup poll said they do not want an AI data center built near them, including 48% who "strongly oppose" it.