- Opposition to data centers continues to grow across the United States
- Gallup poll shows that people would rather have a nuclear power plant in their area than a data center
- Environmental concerns, noise pollution and extra costs are all cited as major concerns
The majority of Americans would oppose new data centers being built in their local area, with many even preferring new nuclear power plants instead, new data has claimed.
A Gallup poll found over seven in 10 (71%) Americans oppose the construction of artificial intelligence data centers nearby, with nearly half (48%) strongly opposed—significantly higher than the proportion (53%) who said they would oppose the building of a nuclear power plant in their area.
Only 20% said they were in favor of such projects, with only 7% strongly in favor.
Opposition to data centers is growing
The results, the first time Gallup has looked into this area, come as opposition to new data centers soars across the United States, where concerns about noise, health problems and environmental damage continue to rise.
These concerns were reflected in the survey results, with 70% of respondents saying they were somewhat concerned about how data centers would affect the local environment.
This included 50% highlighting the excessive use of resources, with 18% citing both the high use of water and energy, while a similar amount (16%) cited noise pollution and air and water pollution, and others said they would prefer the land to be used for other purposes.
Other opposition included the impact on local quality of life, specifically around increased population and traffic, as well as potentially negative economic impacts such as higher utility bills, increases in the cost of living and the potential use of taxpayer funds to build the centers.
Those who said they favored new data centers cited benefits to the local economy, job creation and increased tax revenue as potential plus points.
Concerns were also fairly consistent across all major demographic groups and the political spectrum, but Republican voters were slightly more likely to be in favor than Democrats.
“For the use of artificial intelligence to expand in the United States, data centers that can handle the necessary computing power must be built,” Gallup noted in his letter.
“But most Americans seem to take a ‘not in my backyard’ attitude toward building additional data centers, and that attitude is particularly intense, as nearly half strongly oppose that construction.”
“Overcoming this opposition stands as a major hurdle in the expansion of AI computing. The intensity of the opposition means that proposed data centers are likely to spur grassroots activism from local residents as well as legal challenges. It also indicates that AI infrastructure could become a major campaign issue in local and state elections this year, and politicians who are likely to favor political areas are taking a risk on data centers in their own area.”
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