61% of U.S. Voters Oppose AI Data Center Construction
61% of U.S. voters oppose AI data center construction. Environment and community impacts are central, with neither party gaining an edge.
A poll released on September 15 by The New York Times and Siena University made voter opposition to the construction of data centers for artificial intelligence clear. Reporting by Richard Lawler of The Verge said 61% of the 1,503 likely voters surveyed opposed construction. Only 14% expressed strong support. The survey was conducted in early September, before the debate over slowing AI development that emerged shortly afterward.
This result is not an isolated phenomenon. A March NBC News survey found AI’s favorability below that of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A May Gallup survey found 70% of Americans opposed construction of an AI data center near their homes. The latest figures show that trend hardening ahead of the midterm elections.
Asked if they support or oppose the construction of data centers to power AI tech, 61 percent of the 1,503 likely voters surveyed in early September said they were opposed
The question directly asked whether respondents support or oppose the construction of data centers to power AI technology. While opposition exceeded 60%, trust by party was evenly split. The core finding of the survey is that views on the technology and political receptivity do not align.
More Than 60%
of Voters Express Opposition to Construction
In the survey, opposition to construction reached 61%. Strong support stood at only 14%, with overall support well below opposition. The respondents were likely voters in the midterm elections, surveyed in early September. Importantly, these figures predate the spread of calls to slow down over AI safety.
At the time, local frictions over growing electricity demand and cooling water use were surfacing across the country. In Loudoun County, Virginia, the growing cluster of facilities drew attention. In Philadelphia, an expanding opposition movement was reported. In Massachusetts, mandating clean power procurement was debated. Such local experiences appear to have fed into opposition at the national level.
Within the opposition, preferences for responses also diverged. 56% supported introducing restrictions, while 38% chose a complete ban. While conditional acceptance through regulation was the majority view, nearly four in ten took the hardline position of seeking a ban. Designing the conditions for acceptance is set to become the policy focus.
Sharp Divide in Support and Opposition by
Voter Group
Broken down by 2024 vote, the fault lines became clear. Among those who voted for Donald Trump, support at 49% and opposition at 45% were closely split. Among those who voted for Kamala Harris, opposition reached 74%. Even among nonvoters, opposition reached 67%. Conservatives were divided, while liberals and nonvoters were overwhelmingly opposed.
This distribution shows that technology policy does not fit into traditional partisan divides. Expectations for jobs and investment intersect with concerns about living environments. The split among Trump supporters apparently reflects lingering hopes for industrial promotion alongside strong wariness of local burdens. The high opposition among Harris supporters apparently tracks with concerns about the environment and equity.
The fact that opposition among nonvoters reached 67% cannot be overlooked. Even among those less engaged in politics, rejection of facility construction is shared. The breadth cannot be explained by mobilization by any single party alone. Distrust of technology may be advancing on a different layer from distrust of politics.
Environment and Water Use Top Reasons for
Opposition
Among reasons for opposition, environment and water use topped the list at 32%. Impact on local communities followed at 21%. Distrust or dislike of AI itself stood at 18%. Concerns about regulation were 10%, and concerns about the economy were 9%. The top two items exceeded half, centering on wariness of physical burdens.
Strain on the power grid and spillover into electricity bills have become issues in many areas. Calls for disclosure of water consumption for cooling are also strong. Backlash against direct changes from siting — including noise, landscape impacts, and increased traffic — remains deep-rooted. Opposition is driven not by abstract debates about technology, but by interference with the foundations of daily life.
Distrust of AI itself stood at 18%, a scale that cannot be ignored. At the same time, it occupies a secondary place within overall opposition. Questions about the nature of regulation and economic effects each accounted for around one in ten. The structure is not a single reason but layered multiple concerns. Policy responses will need to separate the issues item by item.
Priority as an Election Issue Remains Low
As the most important issue in deciding midterm votes, AI and data centers ranked low. In most demographic groups, it remained below 1%. The exception was voters aged 18 to 29, with 3% choosing the issue. The economy, foreign policy, prices, and opposition to Trump and Republicans topped the list.
Low importance does not mean weak opposition. While broad opposition exists, it has not become an issue that directly drives voting behavior. It has a strong character as a so-called valence issue. Everyone is concerned, but it yields in priority to cost of living and foreign policy.
The fact that it reached 3% among young voters is noteworthy. Interest is relatively high among a generation with deep exposure to generative AI. That is because impacts on education, employment, and creative activity are close to home. Depending on candidates’ messaging, there remains room for it to become a contested issue. For now, it remains a latent issue.
Neither Party Gains Edge as Trust Remains Split
On which party could be trusted to handle the issue, Democrats stood at 40%, Republicans at 42%, and don’t know / refused to answer at 18%. The sample was 554 people. Overall, Republicans were slightly ahead, but the difference is within the margin of error. Supporters of each party overwhelmingly tended to say they trust their own party.
Neither major party has established a clear advantage. Neither has converted broad opposition into a political asset. Candidates are beginning to pledge tougher regulation, but that has not translated into voter trust. This is an area where technology, local government, and electricity policy intersect, and simple slogans are unlikely to work.
Interest in verification systems for foundational technologies and operational safety is also growing in other areas. The article on GNOME OS Test Center, inspired by Apple TestFlight, which discusses the future of testing infrastructure, showed the importance of pre-distribution verification. The report on the disclosed Microsoft Defender privilege escalation vulnerability “RoguePlanet”, which dealt with flaws in permission management, raised the need for continuous review of defense systems. The report on X revamping revenue sharing to “Original Content Rewards,” introduced September 8 illustrated the difficulty of designing trust between platform operators and users. Distrust surrounding data centers shares a similar structure.
Editorial Opinion
Over the next three to six months, we expect campaign platforms for the midterms to feature regulatory measures. Local approval processes will become stricter, and demands for disclosure of electricity and water use will grow. Operators will be forced to redesign siting and power procurement.
In one to three years, clean power procurement and cooling water management will become standard conditions. Debate over rate structures and subsidy systems will advance around who bears the costs. Users will question the balance between the benefits of generative AI and local burdens.
The remaining question is whether distrust targets the facilities or AI itself. The breakdown of reasons for opposition shows environment and community impact exceeding half, while rejection of the technology itself remains below 20%. The question is whether acceptance can proceed without making burdens visible.
References
- “Voters mostly don’t like AI and data centers, but neither party seems to have an edge”, by Richard Lawler — The Verge, 2026-09-15T23:34:25.000Z (ARR)
- Source URL: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/995917/data-center-nyt-midterm-poll-september
Frequently Asked Questions
- What did the New York Times and Siena University survey find?
- 61% of 1,503 likely voters opposed construction of AI data centers, with strong support at only 14%. Among opponents, 56% supported introducing restrictions and 38% called for a complete ban. Environment and water use was the top reason for opposition.
- Are there differences in support and trust by party?
- Trump supporters were split with 49% in support and 45% opposed, while 74% of Harris supporters and 67% of nonvoters leaned opposed. Democrats at 40% and Republicans at 42% were tied on which party could be trusted to handle the issue, with neither holding a clear advantage.
- Why is priority as an issue low despite strong opposition?
- In most groups, less than 1% named it as the most important issue in deciding midterm votes, with only young voters reaching 3%. The economy, prices, and foreign policy ranked at the top. While concern is widespread, it has not become an issue that directly drives voting behavior.
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