In May 2026 Gallup News stated that over 78 per cent of U.S. adults concerned about the quality of the environment opposed the building of data centers, whereas only 52 per cent of those not concerned held this view.
The report said that seven out of ten Americans are against the establishment of data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, one of them being nearly half (48 per cent) who are strongly against it.
Gallup notes that the results of its survey, carried out in March, mark the first instance on which Gallup has asked the public about data center construction.
Gallup defined data centers as facilities that house computing equipment that helps power artificial intelligence technology used by businesses, universities and other institutions. Continuing, Gallup said the centers cover large areas of land, require extensive amounts of electricity to operate and need substantial water to cool the equipment, raising concerns about their impact on the environment and local electric bills.
Heatmap has released the results of a Heatmap Pro survey of more than 2,000 Americans across the country, conducted via text-to-web responses in August 2026.
As stated in the press release, Heatmap News posed a number of questions concerning data centers or facilities that house the servers that power the internet, apps, and artificial intelligence.
In the survey carried out by Heatmap Pro and Embold Research, 13 percent said they strongly supported data centers in August 2025, while 30 percent said they somewhat supported them; 15 percent were unsure, 18 percent somewhat opposed, and 24 percent strongly opposed.
By February 2026, the proportion who strongly supported data centers had fallen to 9 percent.
The number of people who somewhat supported them also fell to 18 percent, while the percentage who were unsure rose from 15 percent to 21 percent.
The share of people who somewhat opposed the data centers fell from 18 percent to 14 percent, but the share who strongly opposed them rose from 24 percent in August 2025 to 37 percent in February 2026.
This figure continued to rise in May 2026 (reaching 54 percent) and again in August 2026 (reaching 61 percent).
The percentage of people who strongly support data centers fell from 13 percent in August 2025 to 9 percent in February 2026, then to 7 percent in May 2026.
Support that is only somewhat strong has also declined: it was 30 percent in August 2025, 18 percent in February 2026, 14 percent in May 2026, and 11 percent in August 2026.
The survey found that local data centers are 63 points behind among rural voters.
Heatmap Pro concludes that 75 percent of Americans now oppose developing local data centers.
Created with Datawrapper
A Fox News poll asked the question: Would you favor or oppose the building of a data center in your area to support artificial intelligence technology?
Fox News reported that the poll showed 30 percent of all voters (including those who identified as Republicans, MAGA Republicans, Republican men, White women with a degree, liberals and Democrats) in favor, while 70 percent were against it.
Those in favor of data centers gave economic benefits – such as jobs, economic growth, the community, and tax revenues – as the reason for their support.
Those who opposed data centers highlighted environmental issues as their main concern, including energy and water use, pollution, noise, and the overall environmental impact.
All age groups – those aged 18 to 29, 30 to 44 and 54 and over – have net negative views of AI.
People without a college degree are 43 percent in favor, and 55 percent have unfavorable views.
Those aged 18 to 29 are 38 percent in favor, and 60 percent report unfavorable views.
Among those aged 30 to 44, 48 percent are in favor and 52 percent having unfavorable views.
According to Fox News, the survey interviewed a sample of 1,003 people chosen from a national voter file. Respondents either spoke to a live interviewer over landlines (70 people) or cellphones (681 people), or completed the survey online after receiving a text (252 people).
