Voter Trends Regarding AI and Data Centers
A new public opinion poll reveals that the vast majority of voters oppose artificial intelligence data centers, but this issue is not decisive in the midterm elections.
According to polling data conducted in early September in partnership with The New York Times and Siena University, 61 percent of likely voters oppose the construction of data centers to support artificial intelligence technologies.
Opposition Rates to Data Centers
In the survey conducted in early September with 1,503 likely voters, 61 percent of participants stated that they oppose the construction of AI data centers.
The proportion of those strongly supporting such projects remained at only 14 percent.
Distribution of Voter Groups
Among Donald Trump voters, support for data center construction was 49 percent, while opposition was measured at 45 percent.
Among Harris voters and non-voters, opposition rates stood at 74 percent and 67 percent, respectively.
Main Reasons for Opposition
Of those opposing the project, 56 percent advocated for imposing restrictions, while 38 percent advocated for a total ban.
Among the main reasons for the opposition, environmental and water usage concerns accounted for 32 percent, and impacts on local communities accounted for 21 percent.
Importance in Elections
The issue of AI and data centers ranked low among the priorities considered by voters in the midterm elections.
Except for young voters, the importance of this issue was measured below one percent across all demographic groups.