What Americans weigh when a data center comes to town
Core finding
The data-center buildout behind the AI boom meets a skeptical public at the local level. When residents picture one proposed nearby, cost and environmental worries dominate, and concrete benefits like jobs and tax revenue draw far less attention.
That skepticism translates into a willingness to act. Opposition far outweighs support, and only a minority say they would do nothing at all.
Costs and the environment top the list
58.8% say higher energy or water prices would be on their mind, and 50.4% cite negative environmental effects such as pollution.
Local benefits register with fewer people: 27.1% mention more jobs for the community and 26.7% more tax revenue.
Topline
58.8% would weigh higher energy or water prices.
n = 1,000 · Jun 21, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
AI itself drives much of the unease
43.7% point to job losses from AI or automation, and 36.5% say a data center would mean AI changing society for the worse.
Only 13.6% associate it with AI changing society for the better.
Most would push back
40.1% say they would sign a petition opposing the project, 27.9% would contact a local official to oppose it, and 25.5% would speak against it at a local meeting; 20.4% would attend a protest.
Support is rare: 9.5% would contact an official in favor and 8.9% would speak up to support it. 37.5% would take no action.
Topline
40.1% would sign a petition opposing a local data center.
n = 1,000 · Jun 21, 2026 · MoE ±3.2%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Jun 21, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.2% |
| Module | 3 |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
If a company proposed building a new data center in your community, and you were considering whether or not to support it, which of the following would you think about? (Check all the apply)
- reports.verasight.io/r/mpsa26
If a new data center were proposed in your community, which of the following would you consider doing?
Cite this topic
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2026-050, fielded June 21-21, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.