Gallup poll: 7 in 10 Americans don’t want AI data centers near them
by Sean Salai · The Washington TimesSeven in 10 U.S. adults responding to a recent Gallup poll said they do not want an AI data center built near them, including 48% who “strongly oppose” it.
The polling company reported Wednesday that just 27% of respondents supported construction of a hub near them, including 7% who “strongly favor” one.
It’s the first time Gallup has posed the question, with the firm citing “fierce opposition from local residents in many parts of the country” as a reason for the survey.
“These data centers house computing equipment that helps power AI technology used by businesses, universities and other institutions,” Gallup senior editor Jeffrey M. Jones wrote in a summary of the findings. “The centers cover large areas of land, require extensive amounts of electricity to operate and need substantial water to cool the equipment, raising concerns about their impact on the environment and local electric bills.”
Mr. Jones noted that Gallup found that 53% of adults surveyed opposed building a nuclear power plant in their area, “far less” than the number opposed to data centers.
That’s down from a high of 63% opposed to nuclear energy in surveys dating back to 2001.
Among those opposed to AI data centers in their area, 50% mentioned concerns about the impact on local resources. Another 22% flagged quality-of-life issues.
Other concerns included 20% who cited the effect on their living costs, 16% who mentioned pollution, 14% who worried about economic impacts and 14% who expressed general “negative views” of AI.
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Politically, Gallup found that 56% of self-identified Democrats surveyed expressed a “not in my backyard” attitude toward AI data centers, compared with 48% of independents and 39% of Republicans.
Gallup conducted a randomized national telephone survey of 1,000 adults on March 2-18. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
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