Americans are turning against AI data centers as local fears over water, power costs, and land use keep growing nationwide | Daily Reports Online
- 69% of Americans oppose AI data centers near their communities, a national poll finds
- Public support for nearby AI data centers has fallen sharply since 2025
- Only 4% strongly support new data centers in their communities today
American resistance to AI data centers has intensified sharply over the past year, several national surveys released in 2026 have found.
A new Decision Desk poll conducted by SurveyMonkey found that over two-thirds (69%) of respondents oppose construction of these facilities near their homes.
Nearly half of those surveyed (45%) said they would strongly oppose a data center built anywhere close to their own neighborhood.
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Data centers do not have widespread American public support
Separate research from Heatmap Pro, carried out by Embold Research in mid-August 2026, points to an even sharper decline in public backing, as its poll of 2,045 registered voters found 75% opposed building a facility near their community.
Only 4% of respondents said they would strongly support a proposed data center in their area, a drop from 13% recorded a year earlier.
Resistance now cuts across age, income, party affiliation, and the split between rural and urban communities nationwide.
Republicans remain 43 percentage points net negative on the issue, independents sit at 65 points negative, and Democrats register 75 points negative.
Rural voters, a group that has trended Republican in recent years, are 63 points net negative as well.
Officials across the political spectrum have taken notice. New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered a one year pause on new facilities, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze several pending projects pending a required audit.
Heatmap Pro figures reveal that over 530 counties and municipalities have restricted or banned data center construction.
Political and economic fault lines
President Trump has pushed back publicly against the trend, framing local opposition as economically self-defeating.
“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”
However, Republican supervisor Dawn Vogel backed a local moratorium earlier this year, putting her at odds with Trump’s national agenda.
“I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue…It’s an issue of what’s the best use for the land, what’s the best use for our natural resources,” Vogel said.
“You can have all the data you want to in the world, but if you don’t have water to drink, you don’t have humans to use the data.”
Lawmakers who once championed data centers as economic development tools are now revising their positions under mounting public pressure.
Ohio Senator Jon Husted, an early advocate, introduced legislation this year requiring data center operators to cover added electricity and water costs.
The gap between economic promises and local resource concerns appears to be driving much of the shift.
However, labor unions have generally taken a more favorable stance, citing steady construction jobs and strong wages tied to the facilities.
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