A recent survey conducted by the New York Times and Siena University reveals that 61 percent of 1,503 likely voters oppose the construction of data centers for AI. Only 14 percent of respondents expressed strong support for these projects, highlighting a significant public skepticism toward the infrastructure required to power artificial intelligence technologies.
The opposition varies across political lines. Among supporters of Donald Trump, 49 percent favor data center construction, while 45 percent oppose it. In contrast, 74 percent of Kamala Harris voters and 67 percent of non-voters are against such developments. Among those opposing the construction, 56 percent advocate for stricter regulations, while 38 percent call for a total ban.
Environmental and water usage concerns are the primary reasons for opposition, cited by 32 percent of respondents. Other factors include the impact on local communities at 21 percent, general distrust of AI at 18 percent, and regulatory or economic worries at 10 and 9 percent respectively. Previous polls from NBC News and Gallup have also shown widespread public resistance.
Despite these figures, AI and data centers remain low-priority issues for voters. Less than one percent of respondents identified them as a key factor in their midterm voting decisions. Among the 18-29 age group, this figure rose to three percent. When asked which party they trust to manage the issue, 40 percent favored Democrats and 42 percent favored Republicans.
