This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Regardless of their views on politics or climate change, most Americans oppose the development of data centers in their communities. These large buildings filled with computers that store and process digital information, increasingly to support various applications of artificial intelligence, are being built rapidly across the United States.
They can bring economic investment and jobs, but they can also harm public health through pollution created by generating the electricity they need, pollute air, use up water, create noise and raise energy costs. As more data centers are proposed, some local communities are pushing back against new and prospective projects. These debates are already influencing local zoning and permitting decisions and increasingly reaching state lawmakers.
In early September, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued an executive order stating that no state agency will issue permits for data center development unless the project already has local approval from the municipality where it will be located. Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would have imposed strict regulations on data centers, local governments are taking matters into their own hands by banning data centers in their towns.
Public opinion is playing an important role in shaping how data center expansion unfolds across the country. We are researchers studying science communication, climate change and public health. To better understand what Americans think about these issues, we examined data from the Spring 2026 Climate Change in the American Mind survey.
It is a nationally representative survey of adults in the U.S. conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. Our findings align with other recent polling on the topic. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
In an April 2026 survey of 1,068 adults, 930 of whom are registered voters, we and our research colleagues Jennifer Carman, Seth Rosenthal, Anthony Leiserowitz and Edward Maibach asked respondents the degree to which they would support or oppose building a data center in their local area. Just over half—56%—said they would oppose it, while only 15% said they would support it. The opposition is not limited to one political group.
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