New polling suggests that most Americans are against artificial intelligence data centers built near where they live, signaling that the Trump administration‘s efforts aimed at rapidly expanding development to win the AI race may be losing public support.
A Gallup survey conducted in early March found that seven out of 10 Americans oppose building AI data centers in their area, with nearly half (48%) strongly opposed. Around 23% of respondents said they somewhat opposed data centers being built in their areas, while only 27% said they were in favor.
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This opposition to data center development is far greater than the resistance to nuclear power plant construction seen in the same survey.
Gallup found that around 53% of Americans said they were opposed to building a nuclear power plant in their region, down from a peak of 63% more than 20 years ago.
Much of the opposition to data center growth has been tied to the facilities’ extensive use of resources, as well as environmental pollution and the effect on local consumers’ energy bills.
A separate survey conducted by Gallup in April found that at least 50% of those opposed to data center construction cited effects on resources, including water, energy consumption, farmland, and deforestation.
Another 22% cited quality-of-life concerns, including property values, size of land required for the facilities, increased traffic, and an impact on residents’ health. Roughly 20% pointed to higher utility bills and cost of living, while around 16% expressed concerns about noise pollution, air and water contamination, and light and heat generated by the facility.
Energy demand from data centers is expected to surge dramatically in the next decade, with BloombergNEF estimating that data centers will consume more than 100 gigawatts by 2035. By comparison, data center demand in 2024 was estimated to be around 34.7 gigawatts.
For comparison, one megawatt is typically considered roughly the same amount of energy consumed by 400 to 900 homes annually.
The Trump administration has repeatedly advocated the rapid development of data centers to advance AI technology and get ahead of foreign adversaries, such as China.
The administration has attempted to alleviate concerns about the impact data centers will have on consumers’ bills by having Big Tech firms sign a “ratepayer protection pledge” to secure their own power.
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Administration officials have described winning the AI race as a matter of national security. However, that message may become lost on voters as opposition to data centers grows and energy and electricity prices soar.
This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released an update to its Consumer Price Index, revealing that electricity prices rose 6.1% for the year ending in April, nearly double the rate of overall inflation. Month-over-month electricity prices rose 2.1%, according to the report.
