Americans Increasingly Oppose AI Data Centers Near Their Homes, Poll Finds

By NewSunSEO | August 26, 2026

Three-quarters of Americans say they do not want a data center built near them, and 64% would strongly oppose such a development, according to a survey published this week. Only 15% of respondents favored a nearby data center, with just 4% strongly in favor. Opposition has grown across age, gender, income, party affiliation, and rural versus urban lines.

How fast has public opinion shifted?

This is the fourth time the same survey question has been asked in the past year, and opposition has risen each round. In August 2024, 43% of respondents were at least okay with data centers nearby while 42% were not. By February, opposition rose to 51%. By May, it reached 60%, with 54% strongly opposed. The latest round, conducted by Embold Research among 2,045 registered American voters via text-to-web responses from August 8 to 13, shows the share opposing data centers has climbed another 15 points in three months, a 33-point swing against the industry in a single year.

On a net basis, data centers are 43 points underwater with Republicans, 65 points underwater with independents, and 75 points underwater with Democrats, based on the difference between support and opposition within each group.

What is driving the backlash?

The survey did not ask respondents why their views soured so quickly, but a set of grievances around AI data centers has built up in recent years:

• Rising electricity demand and strain on local power grids
• Heavy water use for cooling
• Noise from cooling fans and generators
• Air pollution from on-site gas turbines used by many large facilities
• Relatively few permanent jobs once construction is finished
• Damage to rural scenery from buildings and high-voltage transmission lines
• Frustration with low-quality AI output such as slop and hallucinations
• Some rural residents report paying higher utility bills because of distance from the nearest data center.

What other surveys show

The numbers line up with other recent polling on the same question. A survey published by real estate firm Redfin in July found that 53% of Americans did not want to see a data center built near them, while 34% would support one. That gap of 19 points is similar in direction, though smaller in magnitude, than the 60-point gap in the latest Heatmap survey.

Why it matters

Data centers were already drawing criticism for their electricity and water use before AI became a daily topic. As AI services and platforms have grown, so have complaints about the windowless buildings housing the computers behind them, and about the consumer prices that AI demand helps push up, from phones and laptops to graphics cards. Critics also point to a wave of speculative financing for new data-center builds that they warn could destabilize the broader economy if projects falter.

The backlash has reached pop culture. A new commercial from beverage brands Liquid Death and Garage Beer features former NFL player Jason Kelce urging viewers to drink the products so they can help cool data centers, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the cooling demands these facilities place on water supplies.

Recent polling shows growing public opposition to AI infrastructure among policymakers, utilities, and tech companies. Opposition is no longer concentrated in any one region or in any one political party.

FAQ

How many Americans oppose data centers being built near them?

75% of respondents in the latest survey said they do not want a data center built near them, and 64% said they would strongly oppose such a development. Only 15% favored a nearby data center, and just 4% strongly so.

Who conducted the poll and how?

Embold Research conducted the survey among 2,045 registered American voters through text-to-web responses collected from August 8 to 13. The same question has been asked four times in the past year with no change in wording.

Why are Americans turning against AI data centers?

The survey did not ask respondents for their reasons, but common criticisms include rising electricity and water use, noise from cooling equipment, pollution from on-site gas turbines, limited permanent jobs after construction, damage to rural scenery, frustration with low-quality AI output, higher power bills for distant residents, and concerns about speculative financing in the data-center industry.