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Yes. A New York Times/Siena poll reported by TechRadar found that 61% of likely midterm voters opposed building data centers to support AI in the U.S., while 34% supported it. That is the source of the “nearly two-thirds” figure—but it was a national construction question, not a question about whether a facility should be built near each respondent’s home. Other polls also find substantial resistance to local data centers, though they ask different questions and should not be treated as interchangeable estimates.

What does “nearly two-thirds” refer to?

TechRadar’s account of a New York Times/Siena poll says 61% opposed and 34% supported construction of data centers to support AI in the U.S. The poll surveyed 1,503 likely midterm voters in early September 2026. Its reported question was: “In general, do you support or oppose the construction of data centers to support artificial intelligence, also known as AI, technology in the U.S.?” TechRadar’s report is the source for these figures; the underlying poll is paywalled there, so its full methodology is not available in that account.

The result measures views on construction across the country. It does not establish that 61% oppose AI itself, or that the same share would oppose a facility in their own community. It also does not show that data centers are a top voting priority: TechRadar reports that economic and foreign-policy concerns ranked higher. In the same poll summary, 56% favored limits on AI data centers and 38% supported a total ban on further construction.

How do the other polls compare?

Several 2026 surveys show resistance to local data centers, but differ in population, timing, wording, and whether the question explicitly names AI. Their percentages answer related—not identical—questions.

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Elebase USB to USB C Adapter for iPhone 18 Pro Max,USBC Car Charger Adapter
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Poll Who and when Question and result How to read it
New York Times/Siena, as reported by TechRadar 1,503 likely midterm voters; early September 2026 61% opposed and 34% supported U.S. construction of AI-supporting data centers National construction question; the full poll is paywalled in TechRadar’s account. Source
UMass Poll 1,000 respondents; Aug. 21–26, 2026; reported margin of error 3.5 percentage points 65% opposed, 11% supported, and 24% neither supported nor opposed an AI data center in their local community Local, AI-specific support/opposition question. Source
Pew Research Center 10,548 U.S. adults; July 20–Aug. 9, 2026 60% said they would be not too or not at all comfortable with a new data center operating in their area Local comfort scale, not an oppose/support question; the reported wording does not specify AI. Source
Gallup U.S. adults; March 2–18, 2026 71% opposed local AI data-center construction; 48% were strongly opposed Earlier local, AI-specific measure. Source
Annenberg Public Policy Center 1,320 U.S. adult citizens; June 16–July 19, 2026; full-sample margin of error ±3.5 points 61% opposed a new data center in their area, up from 49% in the survey ending in March Local siting trend; the reported question does not specify AI. Source

These results do not contradict one another. A national question about AI infrastructure, a local siting question, and a comfort scale can produce different answers even when public sentiment points in a similar direction. The field dates and respondent groups also differ, and opinion can change over time.

Why are people wary of a facility nearby?

Resources, land, and neighborhood effects

In the UMass Poll, 28% of open-ended opposition comments were coded as environmental or natural-resource concerns, and 15% as land use or local disruption. These percentages describe the poll’s coding of comments from opponents; they are not population-wide rankings of everyone’s concerns. UMass Poll director Tatishe Nteta said: “Nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local communities, and this opposition cuts across the political and demographic spectrum.”

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Pew’s comparison of January and August 2026 found that the share saying data centers would have a mostly bad effect rose from 39% to 54% for the environment, from 38% to 50% for home energy costs, and from 30% to 49% for nearby quality of life. These are assessments of expected effects, not measurements of actual impacts at every site.

Utility costs and distrust of AI

UMass coded 10% of open-ended opposition comments as concerns about utility bills or costs and 13% as general distrust of AI or the industry. Gallup separately reported that respondents opposing local construction often cited pollution and quality-of-life concerns. These are findings from different surveys and response methods, not one shared ranking of reasons.

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Supporters point to jobs and economic benefits

Opposition is substantial, but supporters also have reasons for favoring construction. Gallup reported that two-thirds of proponents cited economic benefits, and 55% of proponents specifically mentioned job opportunities. Those responses describe supporters’ views; they are not an independent estimate of how many jobs a particular facility creates. Pew also found mixed expectations about local jobs and tax revenue: depending on the impact asked about, 21%–24% said the effect would be mostly good and 18%–32% were unsure or unfamiliar.

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Does opposition to data centers mean opposition to AI?

No. The polls measure views about data-center construction or its expected local effects, not a single, general judgment about AI. Annenberg found that opposition to local data-center construction rose from 49% in its survey ending in March to 61% in its June–July survey, while broader assessments of AI’s national impact and views on AI regulation remained statistically unchanged from its earlier survey. Concern about where infrastructure goes can therefore coexist with views about AI that are more mixed or stable.

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