New Poll Finds Widespread Voter Opposition to AI Data Centers Heading Into Midterms

A survey published Tuesday by The New York Times and Siena College suggests that data center construction — the physical backbone of the artificial intelligence boom — has become a significant liability with voters, and one that does not clearly favor either political party heading into the midterm elections.

The poll, conducted in early September among 1,503 likely voters, found that 61 percent oppose building data centers to support AI technology. Only 14 percent said they strongly support such construction. The timing is notable: the survey was fielded ahead of a recent industry discussion around an AI safety slowdown, a debate that has kept data center expansion in the political spotlight.

A rare cross-partisan issue

What makes the findings politically unusual is how evenly the skepticism cuts across party lines. Among voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024, respondents were nearly split, with 49 percent supporting data center construction and 45 percent opposed. Voters who supported Kamala Harris in 2024, along with those who did not vote, leaned more heavily against the projects.

That pattern suggests neither Democrats nor Republicans hold a clear advantage on the issue. Data center opposition has been building at the local level for months, with communities raising concerns about energy demand, water usage, noise, and the pace of construction. Politicians in both parties have begun positioning themselves against new facilities in response to constituent pressure, and the national poll numbers indicate that stance may carry electoral resonance in November.

Implications for the tech sector

The polling arrives at a sensitive moment for the AI industry, which has staked enormous capital investment on expanding computing infrastructure. Hyperscale data center buildouts have become one of the largest drivers of construction and energy demand in the country, and public resistance adds a layer of regulatory and permitting risk to projects already facing grid constraints and local zoning fights.

For publicly traded companies across the technology supply chain — from chipmakers to cloud providers to payments and infrastructure firms — the political environment around data centers is increasingly part of the investment calculus. Block, Inc. (XYZ), which trades at $79.40, down 1.0 percent from its previous close of $80.20 with a market capitalization of roughly $47.7 billion, is among the technology companies whose sector peers face scrutiny as AI infrastructure becomes a mainstream political topic. Block itself, which operates Square and Cash App, is not directly tied to data center construction, but the broader sentiment shift illustrates how AI policy debates are spilling across the technology landscape.

With midterms approaching, candidates in districts hosting or considering large data center projects are likely to face questions about their positions, and the poll suggests silence may not be a viable option.

What to watch

• Additional polling on AI and data center attitudes as the November midterms draw closer.
• Local election results in areas with proposed or recently approved data center projects.
• Candidate platforms and statements on data center permitting and energy policy.
• Developments from the AI industry’s safety slowdown discussions and any announced construction pauses or policy commitments.
• Upcoming quarterly earnings calls, where hyperscale cloud providers may address infrastructure timelines and regulatory headwinds.

Source: original release