As data centers break ground in communities across the country, Americans are growing more concerned about the environmental impacts. That’s according to a new poll from The -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, which found that about half (53%) of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about AI’s environmental impacts. The number is up from 41% last year.
The concern is shared across all party affiliations. More Democrats, Republicans, and Independents said they are “extremely or very” worried about the environmental impacts compared to last year—with 65% of Democrats, 42% of Republicans, and 49% of Independents reporting their concern this year. There are currently 1,287 data centers in operation in the U.S., with more than 2,000 planned projects, according to Clearview, a market intelligence company tracking U.S. power infrastructure and data center development.
Virginia and Texas currently have the most data centers in operation, but many new developments are planned in rural areas in the South and Midwest. The growth is driven by the rise in hyperscale data centers, which are larger, more powerful, and often used to train and run large-scale AI models. Read more: Community Backlash to AI Data Centers Is Growing Across the U.S.
Despite the boom, Americans seem to be increasingly supportive of measures to regulate growth. About 6 in 10 Americans said they would support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built—including most Democrats and Republicans—the survey found. Democrats seem to be the most concerned by the environmental impacts of data center growth.
About two-thirds say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about how AI will affect the environment, the poll found, compared to about half in 2025. By contrast, about half of Independents and 4 in 10 Republicans are highly concerned about the environmental impact of AI. Republicans, on the other hand, are more likely to see the benefits of data centers.
Yet about 3 in 10 Republicans still believe the centers are “not very” or “not at all” beneficial for improved infrastructure and job creation. A majority (60%) of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built, according to the new poll. The concerns are not unfounded.
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