69% of Americans oppose local AI data centers in 2026 poll — Trump blasts blocking communities on Truth Social for choosing poverty over server farms, throwing off 'tremendous amounts of money'

69% of Americans oppose AI data centers near their communities, a national poll finds Public support for nearby AI data centers has fallen sharply since 2025 Only 4% strongly support new data centers in their communities today American resistance to AI data centers has intensified sharply over the p

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>69% of Americans oppose AI data centers near their communities, a national poll finds</strong></li><li><strong>Public support for nearby AI data centers has fallen sharply since 2025</strong></li><li><strong>Only 4% strongly support new data centers in their communities today</strong></li></ul><p>American resistance to AI data centers has intensified sharply over the past year, several national surveys released in 2026 have found.</p><p>A new <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-polarized-america-unites-deep-concerns-ai-rcna595525" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Decision Desk</a> poll conducted by SurveyMonkey found that over two-thirds (69%) of respondents oppose construction of these facilities near their homes.</p><p>Nearly half of those surveyed (45%) said they would strongly oppose a data center built anywhere close to their own neighborhood.</p><h2 id="data-centers-do-not-have-widespread-american-public-support">Data centers do not have widespread American public support</h2><p>Separate research from <a href="https://heatmap.news/daily/data-center-opposition-poll-collapse" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Heatmap Pro</a>, carried out by Embold Research in mid-August 2026, points to an even sharper decline in public backing, as its poll of 2,045 registered voters found 75% opposed building a facility near their community.</p><p>Only 4% of respondents said they would strongly support a proposed <a href="https://www.techradar.com/pro/best-data-center-proxies">data center</a> in their area, a drop from 13% recorded a year earlier.</p><p>Resistance now cuts across age, income, party affiliation, and the split between rural and urban communities nationwide.</p><p>Republicans remain 43 percentage points net negative on the issue, independents sit at 65 points negative, and Democrats register 75 points negative.</p><p>Rural voters, a group that has trended Republican in recent years, are 63 points net negative as well.</p><p>Officials across the political spectrum have taken notice. New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered a one year pause on new facilities, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze several pending projects pending a required audit.</p><p>Heatmap Pro figures reveal that over 530 counties and municipalities have restricted or banned data center construction.</p><h2 id="political-and-economic-fault-lines">Political and economic fault lines</h2><p>President Trump has pushed back publicly against the trend, framing local opposition as economically self-defeating.</p><p>“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.</p><p>“If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”</p><p>However, Republican supervisor Dawn Vogel backed a local moratorium earlier this year, putting her at odds with Trump's national agenda.</p><p>“I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue…It’s an issue of what’s the best use for the land, what’s the best use for our natural resources,” Vogel said.</p><p>“You can have all the data you want to in the world, but if you don’t have water to drink, you don’t have humans to use the data.”</p><p>Lawmakers who once championed data centers as economic development tools are now revising their positions under mounting public pressure.</p><p>Ohio Senator Jon Husted, an early advocate, introduced legislation this year requiring data center operators to cover added electricity and water costs.</p><p>The gap between economic promises and local resource concerns appears to be driving much of the shift.</p><p>However, labor unions have generally taken a more favorable stance, citing steady construction jobs and strong wages tied to the facilities.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:676px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:31.51%;"><img id="diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78" name="tr-g_news" alt="Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="676" height="213" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div></figure> </article> ]]>