Key Takeaways
- Despite 39% of surveyed Americans in support, 61% would oppose local data centers even if they brought new jobs.
- Gen Z was almost twice as likely than older Americans to support local data centers in the case of job creation.
- Two-thirds of Americans surveyed still think data center development will have a negative impact on local towns.
As talks around data centers and AI heat up in the U.S., the average American is also speaking out about these megacomplexes of power, with some even taking to the streets to express their opinions on the matter.
But are potential economic benefits able to make a difference in the conversation, swinging the pendulum of support?
A new HostingAdvice.com survey reveals that 39% of surveyed Americans would support the construction of a new data center within 10 miles of their home if it would create 100 new full-time jobs for local residents. This figure shows that skepticism is still leading despite the introduction of potential economic tradeoffs.
Data centers are no longer a national topic of discussion; they are also becoming increasingly local. As developers plan to build more facilities across the country, Americans are pushing back on data centers in their towns, citing concerns over water consumption, grid strain, and general lack of local economic benefits.
And according to our results, upsides such as job creation may not be enough to positively sway Americans’ views of local data center development just yet.
Younger People Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Support Local Data Centers
Our results reveal a clear generational split in how people view local data center development. Evidently, local data center support leans younger, with Gen Z showing the highest level of support among the generational groups.
Here is how support — with job creation — broke down across generations:
- Gen Z: 53%
- Millennials: 40%
- Boomers: 35%
- Gen X: 32%
While Gen Z is primarily divided in their support, they were still nearly twice as likely to approve local data center development than older Americans if it brought jobs to their communities.
Gen Z is seemingly more likely to perceive local data centers as an opportunity to boost their local economy or job market. On the other hand, older adults are more skeptical, regardless of the potential benefits.
2 in 3 Americans View Data Centers Negatively
Job creation may not be enough to generate local support, but public opinion may have little to do with benefits anyway. In fact, two-thirds of surveyed Americans believe data centers have a negative local impact, even before benefits are introduced.
Residents point to real, local costs: noise pollution, strained power grids, and large land footprints that reshape neighborhoods.
For developers, these findings point to a real challenge. Whether the gap is one of communication or of genuine cost-benefit disagreement, economic incentives alone appear insufficient to build local support.
Methodology
This survey was conducted in April 2026 among 500 U.S.-based respondents. Respondents were selected from a third-party research panel.
To ensure the integrity of data collection, the researcher developed a proprietary machine-learning algorithm that can detect fraudulent responses early and remove inauthentic respondents immediately. The overall margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error increase for subgroups such as age or gender.
For media inquiries, please reach out to dennis@hostingadvice.com.
