Survey Reveals Emerging Backlash Against Nearby Data Centers
Techstrong IT, Wednesday, May 13th, 2026
A Gallup survey finds 71% of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their communities.
A new Gallup survey reveals a significant public backlash against AI-focused data centers, with 71% of Americans opposing their construction in their communities and 48% strongly opposed. Environmental concerns, particularly about water and energy consumption, drive much of the opposition, along with quality-of-life and economic concerns.
This sentiment represents a major shift from viewing data centers as beneficial economic development projects to seeing them as industrial facilities that strain infrastructure. The resistance cuts across party lines, with Democrats showing the strongest opposition at 56% strong opposition.
As tech companies invest billions in AI infrastructure expansion, they face growing organized local resistance that poses a significant challenge to their rapid computing capacity expansion plans.