Most Americans Oppose Data Centers for AI, But Issue Barely Registers in Midterm Priorities

A New York Times and Siena University poll released this week confirms that Americans are deeply wary of the infrastructure driving the AI boom. Out of 1,503 likely voters surveyed in early September, 61 percent said they oppose building data centers to support AI technology, while only 14 percent expressed strong support for such construction.

Deep Divide Along Party Lines#

The partisan split reveals starkly different views. Voters who supported Donald Trump in 2024 showed the closest to even-handed thinking on the matter, with 49 percent in favor compared to 45 percent opposed. By contrast, those who backed Kamala Harris or did not vote sided clearly against data center expansion—74 percent and 67 percent opposed, respectively.

Opposition Takes Two Forms#

Among those opposed to data centers, the resistance splits into two camps: 56 percent would support regulatory limits on construction, while 38 percent call for an outright ban. The public's anxieties cluster around several concerns, with environmental damage and water consumption driving opposition at 32 percent. Local community disruption ranks second at 21 percent, followed by broader unease with AI itself at 18 percent, with economic and regulatory worries rounding out the list.

A Low-Priority Issue Despite the Backlash#

Yet despite this widespread skepticism, data centers and AI have barely cracked voters' radar as top concerns heading into the midterms. Across nearly all demographic groups, the issue registers below one percent as a deciding factor—with younger voters aged 18–29 the notable exception, at three percent. The economy, foreign policy, inflation, and partisan opposition continue to dominate voters' attention.

When asked which party they trust to handle the issue, party loyalty prevailed. Among the subset of 554 respondents, 40 percent favored Democrats and 42 percent favored Republicans, while 18 percent remained undecided or refused to answer.

Polling trackers have consistently documented AI's unpopularity. An NBC News poll from March found AI rated lower than even immigration enforcement in public favor, and a Gallup survey in May found roughly seven in ten Americans opposed local data center construction.