Survey: 93% of Americans Support AI Data Center Development — Just Not Near Them

Artificial intelligence is at the center of today’s biggest global competition, and the stakes are high. Historically, countries that have developed the best technology have had more productivity, wealth, military success, etc.

History, as they say, is written by the victors. Americans seem to understand that notion, and in a time of intense polarization in culture and politics, the vast majority of Americans (93%) can agree on one thing… cutting-edge AI data centers are vital to the United States.

On the heels of the Trump administration’s announcement of the Stargate Project, HostingAdvice commissioned a survey of 800 Americans to uncover public sentiment around AI data centers being built in or near their communities. The survey focused on 16 key states targeted for AI data center development — where OpenAI and others are exploring expansion.

Even with a united understanding of the importance of the U.S. improving and delivering AI technology, most Americans aren’t jumping at the chance of having an AI data center as a neighbor. In fact, only 35% of respondents would vote “yes” to data center construction in their hometown if a vote were to be held.

Americans as a collective may view AI data centers as a national priority, but not so much as a value-add to their local communities. However, as we’ll get to later, there is a big opportunity for the government, tech industry, and data center operators to sway the public’s opinion.

Our study found that though Americans value the importance of AI data centers, they don’t necessarily want to drive past them while on the way to the grocery store. To understand this consensus fully, let’s explore it by demographic splits based on gender, age and state. The data indicates that the younger you are, the more likely you are to support data center development in your area.

A hearty 50% of respondents aged 18 to 25 said they would vote for a data center development in their community, compared to 30% of those 60 and older.

As for gender, the difference is even more stark. When asked whether they would approve an AI data center in their hometown, 46% of male respondents voted yes, while only 24% of women responded yes.

While OpenAI and other backers are exploring sites across the country, we wanted to be of service and let them know where they can more easily win the battle of public opinion. States with the highest percentage of “yes” votes were Louisiana (50%), New York (48%), and Ohio (44%). States with the highest percentage of “no” votes were Washington (38%), Virginia (28%), Florida (26%), and Maryland (26%).

We’d like to point out that Virginia boasts the most data centers in the U.S. — earning northern Virginia the nickname Data Center Alley. Though these data centers are primarily not focused on AI, Virginians’ opposition to the emergence of AI-driven data centers may be a sign of fatigue on their part.

Generally speaking, establishing new commercial businesses in communities helps drive economic value for local inhabitants. However, for data centers, the sentiment is different.

People are concerned whether local economic benefits will outweigh their worries about infrastructure drain from the massive amounts of energy and water required by these facilities. Our research also found they are concerned about the resulting environmental impact of land use and carbon emissions.

Only 9% of respondents believe local economic benefits would outweigh their concerns over resource and environmental impact. Data centers are known to use high levels of energy and water to function 24/7 and prevent overheating. This is weighing on the minds of locals.

When asked about their level of concern over water usage, energy usage, and land use, the vast majority share a level of concern:

• Water use
  • Somewhat concerned = 42.38%
  • Very concerned = 38.5%
  • Not concerned = 19.13%
• Energy use
  • Somewhat concerned: 42.88%
  • Very concerned: 38.88%
  • Not concerned: 18.25%
• Land use
  • Somewhat concerned = 46.25%
  • Not concerned = 29.75%
  • Very concerned = 24%

Shifting to the state level, our survey found Washington State’s respondents were the most concerned about all three topics. 52% being very concerned about energy usage, 50% being very concerned about water usage, and 38% being very concerned about land use.

Other states with high levels of concern include New York, California, and Arizona:

• NY is very concerned about energy usage (42%) and water usage (34%)
• CA is very concerned about energy usage (48%) and water usage (46%)
• AZ is very concerned about energy usage (44%) and water usage (62%)

On the flip side, Texas was the least concerned state, displaying the highest rates for “Not concerned” for land (46%), water (42%), and energy (38%) use.

Because data centers require specialized talent and knowledge for operation, towns with a shortage of these skills may sense they are getting the short end of the stick.

To put this into context, 71% of respondents said they would rather have a data center operator provide training for locals to work at the facility than have talent brought in from elsewhere. Furthermore, 26% said they would be interested in working at a local data center while 36% said they would consider working at a facility but believe they are unqualified without training.

While only about a third of our survey respondents would vote yes for an AI data center to be built in their area, a significant 42% of respondents remained undecided. They feel they do not have the necessary information to make a proper decision.

Luckily, we asked them what would make them more supportive of AI data center development:

• 63% of respondents said they would be more supportive if their town offered community benefits (e.g., tax breaks and educational grants)
• 55% said the promise of job creation would make them more supportive
• 53% said they would be more supportive if companies pledged to use renewable energy

This means data center operators, tech companies, and the government have the chance to change opinions through better public engagement and education. They can encourage local support by providing benefits, pushing job creation, and pledging to use renewable energy.

Whatever companies choose to do, it’s evident that AI data centers are a national priority with significant local implications that need to be considered from the very beginning.

An 800-person general population survey was executed by Pollfish and commissioned by HostingAdvice. Ages fall between 18 and 85. 50% identified as male and 50% identified as female. The population was evenly spread across the 16 states of Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

To ensure the integrity of data collection, we employed an array of data quality methods. Alongside conventional measures such as digital fingerprinting, bot checks, geo-verification, and speeding detection, each response underwent a thorough review by a dedicated team member to ensure quality and contextual accuracy.