New polling shows broad voter opposition to AI data centers and no clear partisan advantage on AI.
Why it matters: AI infrastructure needs more data centers, but local resistance could slow siting, permitting and construction. The issue is politically open, giving both parties room to shape the debate.
- A NYT/Siena poll of 1,503 likely U.S. voters found 61% opposed construction of data centers to support AI, while 34% supported it.
- The same poll found no clear edge on AI: 42% trusted Republicans more, versus 40% for Democrats.
- Support broke sharply by party and age: 75% of Democrats opposed data centers, along with 47% of Republicans and nearly 80% of voters under 30.
- Among opponents, 56% favored limits on construction rather than a total ban.
Voters are increasingly skeptical of the infrastructure behind AI. A New York Times/Siena University poll, conducted Sept. 8-13 and released Sept. 15, found 61% of likely U.S. voters opposed construction of data centers to support AI, while 34% backed it.
The poll also showed no obvious partisan winner on AI itself. Forty-two percent of voters said they trusted Republicans more to handle AI, while 40% said the same of Democrats.
Resistance was strongest among Democrats and younger voters. The poll found 75% of Democrats opposed data center construction, compared with 47% of Republicans, and nearly 80% of voters under 30 were opposed.
The concerns were practical as much as political. About one-third of opponents cited environmental or water-use worries, followed by local community impacts, distrust of AI, and regulation or economic concerns. One respondent, Gedeon Kebede, said, "There's a lot of water usage by AI data centers that's taking away from other things like agriculture and farmers and places that really need it."
The backlash is not limited to one poll. Gallup found in March that 71% of Americans opposed constructing AI data centers in their local area, including 48% who were strongly opposed. Gallup said the issue could become important in local and state campaigns. An AP report published Sept. 16 said a separate AP-NORC/Energy Policy Institute poll found about 6 in 10 Americans support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built.
Even so, the NYT/Siena poll suggests this is not yet a top-tier voting issue. Fewer than 1% of respondents said AI or data centers would be the most important issue deciding their vote.
By the numbers
- 61% - Likely U.S. voters in the NYT/Siena poll who opposed data center construction for AI
- 71% - Americans in Gallup's March survey who opposed local AI data centers
- 42% vs 40% - Share trusting Republicans more on AI vs Democrats more
Yes, but: The opposition is broad, but it is still mostly about local impacts and siting rather than a general anti-AI movement.
What's next: Local and state campaigns are likely to keep testing data center siting, permitting and environmental arguments as AI buildouts expand.