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Many Americans are skeptical about having a data center in their area, fueled largely by what they perceive as negative impacts on the environment and resources.
The construction of data centers in the U.S. has accelerated in recent years, but most Americans feel they don’t know a lot about them yet.
People’s own lack of familiarity with data centers contributes to their unease about having one in their local area. While people tend not to favor them no matter how much they feel they know, the less they feel they know about data centers, the less likely they are to favor one.
Overall, by more than two to one, more Americans oppose than favor having a new data center built in their area. Many aren’t sure.
The relatively few — 16% — who feel they know “a lot” see some potential upsides of having one locally, but more of them still oppose one than support one in their local area, anyway.
(Those who report knowing “nothing” about data centers are mostly unsure about having one in their area.)
The country is generally divided on whether more data centers are necessary for the U.S. to remain competitive in the fields of technology and AI. Those who would favor a new data center in their area overwhelmingly think they are necessary for the U.S. to compete with other countries.
More Republicans than Democrats think data centers are needed for competitiveness, but many of them, like Democrats, aren’t sold on having one in the area where they live.
Overall, majorities believe data centers are mostly bad for the environment, for resources like water and electricity, and for people’s energy or utility costs in the areas where they are built.
On a more positive note, slightly more Americans think the building of data centers is good, rather than bad, for both the local economy and for tax revenue. People who anticipate these benefits are more inclined to favor than oppose a data center in their area.
And on jobs specifically, half of Americans see data centers as boosting the number of jobs where they are built in the short term, but far fewer think that will be true in the long term.
On these questions about potential local impacts, sizable percentages say they are “not sure” — underscoring that these matters surrounding data centers are not yet familiar to many Americans.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,023 U.S. adults interviewed between June 2-4, 2026. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.8 points.
