AINewsPolicyVoters mostly don’t like AI and data centers, but neither party seems to have an edge61 percent of likely voters surveyed said they oppose the construction of AI data centers.61 percent of likely voters surveyed said they oppose the construction of AI data centers.by Richard LawlerSep 15, 2026, 11:34 PM UTCShareGiftImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesPart OfAll the latest updates on AI data centerssee all updates Richard Lawler is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget.Poll data released Tuesday by the New York Times and Siena University confirms what we’ve already been seeing, and what politicians are responding to — AI and data centers are incredibly unpopular. Asked if they support or oppose the construction of data centers to power AI tech, 61 percent of the 1,503 likely voters surveyed in early September (ahead of the recent AI safety slowdown discussion) said they were opposed, with only 14 percent saying they strongly support. The split was about even among 2024 Donald Trump voters, at 49 percent support to 45 percent oppose, while people who had voted for Kamala Harris or who didn’t vote leaned oppose, at 74 percent and 67 percent, respectively.56 percent of voters surveyed who said they were opposed to data centers said they supported limits, while 38 percent instead preferred a total ban.
The list of reasons for opposition is also revealing, with the environment/water usage most common at 32 percent, impact on local communities at 21 percent, general distrust or dislike of AI at 18 percent, followed by regulation concerns and the economy at 10 and 9 percent.RelatedIf you want to know what the data center occupation looks like, visit Loudoun County, VirginiaAI backlash is coming for electionsThe right-wing boomers protesting data centers have a lot in common with the leftAn NBC News poll in March showed AI polling lower than ICE, and a Gallup poll in May revealed seven in ten Americans opposed local construction of AI data centers.Still, the data released today ranked AI and data centers low on the list of issues that voters saw as most important in deciding their midterm vote. Across the board, AI and data centers registered at less than one percent for most demographics, with exceptions for younger voters like the 18-29 group, where three percent picked that one instead of the most popular responses like the economy, foreign policy, inflation, and opposition to Trump/Republicans. Voters in either party still overwhelmingly picked their own party as the one they trusted to handle the issue, while overall the 554 respondents had 40 percent favoring Democrats, 42 percent favoring Republicans, and 18 percent saying they didn’t know or refused.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Richard LawlerAINewsPolicyPoliticsThis week in the big AI data center buildout.Jay PetersSep 9Is this the future of America?Lauren FeinerSep 2A Microsoft-backed data center has reportedly been running on unpermitted generators.Justine CalmaAug 28Most PopularThe Dell XPS 13 is the first real competitor to the MacBook NeoApple releases iOS 27 with Siri AI overhaulMicrosoft issues emergency Windows 11 update to fix its record-breaking patchApple Home’s new security camera features cost as much as $60 a monthGM updates its trucks’ native software to coexist with CarPlayAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
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