Poll finds 66% of Americans oppose new data centers amid broad AI disapproval
Opposition is stronger when construction is proposed nearby. With the midterms approaching, the findings raise a political question—not a prediction of how people will vote.
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3 key pointsAn October 21 Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that opposition to data-center construction extends beyond people asked to host a facility: 66% oppose new centers nationwide, rising to 72% in their own communities. The local resistance may create political exposure for officials and candidates tied to specific projects, especially where communities say costs were not clearly explained. But the poll and strategist’s warning do not establish that data-center concerns will change votes in the November 3 midterms.
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A majority of respondents said AI will destroy many jobs; this records an expectation, not job losses already caused by AI.
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Sixty-seven percent said the government is not doing enough to regulate AI, while a separate majority disapproved of President Donald Trump’s handling of the technology.
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Strategist Christopher Lee warned that opaque local development decisions could hurt candidates, but that is a forecast rather than a measured election outcome.
Americans’ doubts about AI extend from its effects on society to the facilities built to support it. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll reported October 21 found that 57% consider AI bad for society. Still larger shares oppose new data centers, with resistance strongest when construction would be in their own community.
National opposition, stronger local resistance
The construction findings distinguish between opposition to new facilities across the United States and opposition to hosting one nearby. Both draw clear majorities. The local result is higher, but the national figure shows that resistance is not confined to projects in respondents’ own neighborhoods.
Respondents opposed construction of new data centers in the United States.
Respondents would oppose a new data center in their own community.
Job fears meet dissatisfaction with Washington
The concerns reach beyond construction. A majority of Americans believe AI will destroy many jobs, according to The Washington Post’s account of the poll. That finding measures an expectation about employment, not job losses already caused by the technology.
Respondents also want more government oversight: 67% said the government is not doing enough to regulate AI. Separately, a majority disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the technology. Those are distinct judgments—one about the level of regulation, the other about the president’s performance.
A campaign warning, not an election forecast
The findings arrive ahead of the November 3 U.S. midterm elections. Political strategist Christopher Lee told CNET that opposition to data centers could hurt candidates, particularly those who had not been transparent with constituents about the costs to their communities.
Lee’s warning concerns accountability for specific development decisions, rather than AI sentiment alone. His assessment is a forecast of political risk, not a measured election outcome. The poll establishes broad resistance to the technology and its infrastructure; whether that resistance changes votes remains unresolved.
Sources
- washingtonpost.comMost Americans give a thumbs down to AI and how Trump is handling it
- cnet.comAI and Data Centers Will Impact Midterm Voting, According to Experts - CNET
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