71% of Americans Oppose Nearby AI Data Centers: Gallup
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- Gallup found that 71% of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their area, with just 7% saying they were "strongly" in favor — a level of opposition that exceeds the 63% peak recorded against nuclear power plants.
- Resource consumption was the top worry for opponents, with 50% citing data centers' impact on water and electricity; a separate Pew Research survey found 43% of Americans view data centers as a "major reason" for skyrocketing power bills.
- Opposition spans the political spectrum, reaching 75% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 63% of Republicans — suggesting no partisan coalition is available to ease the path for new construction.
- Gallup's findings draw on a March 2026 survey of 1,000 randomly selected U.S. adults and an April 2026 survey of 2,054 Gallup Panel members across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Quality-of-life concerns, cost of living, pollution, and negative views of AI also ranked among opponents' top reasons, while 55% of supporters cited job opportunities as their primary motivation for backing new centers.
- Maine Governor Janet Mills invoked jobs as her reason for vetoing an 18-month moratorium on new data center construction in her state earlier this year, highlighting the political tension between local opposition and economic arguments.
Why it matters: With 63% of Republicans joining the opposition, data centers now face more local resistance than nuclear power plants — historically America's most NIMBY-prone infrastructure. The bipartisan intensity of the 71% opposition figure signals a serious siting problem for the AI buildout, as the most-cited reason (water and electricity costs) directly connects to household utility bills.
