U.S. voters show resistance to AI data center expansion, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

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U.S. voter resistance to AI centers

Highlights

Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 64% of Americans oppose rapid data center construction, with 57% against facilities in their communities and only 14% comfortable with nearby projects.
77% of respondents worry AI-driven data centers will raise electricity costs, and half fear AI could lead to job losses in their households.
Fourteen states are considering moratoriums on new data center projects amid persistent public and political backlash, including local disputes over DC Blox’s proposed $2 billion Indianapolis facility.

Poll findings and community opposition

As reported by Reuters/Ipsos, only 33% of Americans agree that building data centers at a rapid pace is mainly a good thing, while 64% disagree. The six-day poll surveys 4,531 people nationwide and closes on Monday.

Opposition is stronger when projects move closer to home. Some 57% of respondents say they would oppose a data center being built in their community, including about two-thirds of Democrats and half of Republicans, while just 14% say they are comfortable with a facility being built near them.

Support for faster construction is somewhat higher among Republicans than Democrats, but the poll indicates broad unease across party lines. There are currently 710 operating data centers in the United States and another 1,062 planned projects, according to research firm Cleanview.

Power costs and political implications

Data centers that support AI require large amounts of electricity, water and land, while often creating relatively few long-term jobs. Those pressures are helping turn the sector's expansion into a voter issue as the Trump administration pushes federal agencies to speed permits for AI-related infrastructure, citing competition with China.

Some 77% of survey respondents, including similar shares of Republicans, Democrats and independents, say they are worried AI will make electricity more expensive. Half of Americans also fear AI could put them or someone in their household out of work, adding a wider labor market concern to objections over local projects.

Campaigns are beginning to respond to that sentiment. Some Democrats, including Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, are highlighting the risk that data centers could raise electricity prices, while local disputes continue in places such as Indianapolis, where officials are considering a proposed $2 billion project by DC Blox after vocal opposition at an April hearing.

Public backlash is also feeding policy action at the state level. Fourteen states have considered or are considering a moratorium on new data center projects.

Our earlier article on Oracle’s AI data center expansion explained how the company is ramping up funding plans as capital spending accelerates, targeting about $40 billion in new financing to support its build-out. We noted investor concerns about whether Oracle can balance surging construction costs with returns while protecting its credit profile, alongside execution risks such as project delays and local resistance near proposed sites.

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