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Policypublished

Pennsylvania Poll Finds 79% Reject Local Data Centers as 84% Back Tighter AI Rules

The state has added local-approval and transparency conditions for developers, but the poll suggests skepticism now reaches both AI companies and the facilities behind them.

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Pennsylvania Poll Finds 79% Reject Local Data Centers as 84% Back Tighter AI Rules
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Pennsylvania voters are rejecting data centers in their own communities by a wide margin: 79 percent say they oppose having one built nearby. At the same time, 84 percent want tighter federal regulation of artificial-intelligence companies. That combination puts pressure on both the facilities powering AI and the companies using them. The findings come from the Franklin and Marshall College Poll, which surveyed 501 registered voters by phone and online from August 17th through the 23rd. The results were weighted for demographic and voter-registration characteristics, with a reported sample error of 5.5 percentage points. The state is already adding friction to the buildout. Under Governor Josh Shapiro’s executive order, developers seeking state permits, authorizations, or tax benefits must first provide proof of local approvals. They also have to sign agreements covering clean-energy and job-creation requirements, while conditions apply to the state’s data-center sales-tax exemption. Agencies under the governor’s control can no longer sign nondisclosure agreements for these projects, and data centers are excluded from the governor’s Fast Track permitting program. Local resistance is taking concrete form too: Reading enacted a six-month pause on new data-center proposals in July. The broader mood is cautious, with 76 percent saying they feel nervous about recent AI advances. The key question now is whether statewide skepticism translates into enough local opposition to block individual projects.

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3 key points

Pennsylvania’s AI backlash is translating into permitting friction for data-center developers. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s order ties state approvals and tax incentives to local authorization, clean-energy and job commitments, while barring state agencies from using nondisclosure agreements and excluding projects from Fast Track permitting. The Franklin & Marshall College Poll, conducted Aug. 17–23 among 501 registered...

  1. 01

    Support for federal AI regulation rose from 79% in October 2025 to 84% in the latest poll.

  2. 02

    Reading imposed a six-month moratorium on new data-center proposals in July.

  3. 03

    The survey’s weighted results carry a reported 5.5-percentage-point sample error.

Pennsylvania voters are wary of both artificial intelligence and the physical infrastructure built to support it: 79% oppose a data center in their community, and 84% favor closer federal regulation of AI companies.

The state has added conditions to the buildout

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s executive order asks data-center developers to sign agreements covering clean-energy and job-creation requirements. It also requires proof of local approvals before state permits or authorizations and places conditions on Pennsylvania’s data-center sales-tax exemption.

Two further changes shape the process

  • Agencies under the governor’s control are barred from signing nondisclosure agreements for data-center projects.
  • Data centers are no longer eligible for the governor’s Fast Track program for major-project permitting.

Voter anxiety extends beyond a single facility

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll found that 76% of respondents were nervous about recent AI advances, five percentage points higher than in fall 2025. Support for closer federal regulation rose from 79% in October 2025 to 84% in the latest survey.

The poll’s three central findings
84%Back tighter federal AI regulation

Registered Pennsylvania voters said AI companies need more federal regulation.

79%Oppose a local data center

Registered Pennsylvania voters said they did not want a data center built in their community.

76%Nervous about recent AI advances

Respondents said they felt nervous about recent AI developments.

Local resistance is already taking a policy form

Sixty-six percent of registered voters said smartphones, social media and AI have had a more negative than positive effect on society. In July, Reading enacted a six-month moratorium on new data-center proposals, placing a local pause alongside the statewide requirements.

The next test is project-level consent

The survey interviewed 501 registered Pennsylvania voters from Aug. 17 through 23 by phone and online. Results were weighted by demographic and voter-registration characteristics, with a reported 5.5-percentage-point sample error after weighting. It captures statewide voter attitudes, while the order makes local approval a requirement for developers seeking state action.

Sources

  1. readingeagle.comPennsylvanians wary of artificial intelligence and data centers
  2. phillyburbs.comNew poll shows how Pennsylvania voters view AI and data centers - PhillyBurbs

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