As data centers have grown and proliferated, so has the backlash.
When asked about the construction of various industrial facilities in their neighborhoods, 40% of people supported building data centers in their area, while 32% opposed them, according to a new poll from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
According to Axios, there is one interesting piece of information from the study. More and more people want to own an e-commerce warehouse.
In a poll of 1,000 people conducted in November, two-thirds of respondents were worried that their electricity bills would rise if new data centers were built in their area. Axios said concerns about jobs and economic growth worked in its favor for data centers. That sentiment may fade, however, as most data center projects don’t employ many people once they’re up and running.
A separate study conducted by Quinnipiac University last month and released earlier this week found much stronger opposition to data center construction. The poll found that 65% of Americans oppose building AI data centers in their communities. Of the 1,397 U.S. adults surveyed, only 24% supported ongoing construction.
A new poll suggests that the debate over data centers is far from over, and continued dissatisfaction from so many voters is likely to continue spilling over into politics. Data centers used to operate more or less quietly in the background. No more.
