Public Opposition to Data Centers Grows in New Poll
A majority of Americans oppose new infrastructure, signaling a growing rift between industry expansion and public sentiment.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
Live Poll
Do you believe the growth of artificial intelligence and its associated infrastructure is good for society?
A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll of 2,545 U.S. adults indicates significant public skepticism toward artificial intelligence and its infrastructure. A majority of respondents reported negative views on AI's societal impact and expressed opposition to the construction of new data centers.
Why it matters
This shift in sentiment reflects growing concerns regarding the physical and systemic footprint of AI infrastructure, highlighting a potential friction point for developers seeking to scale compute capacity. The polling data underscores a widening gap between industry expansion goals and public acceptance.
The survey recorded a high perceived risk of AI-related hacking at 73%, while 65% of respondents identified job elimination as a high risk. These figures carry an overall poll error margin of +/- 2 points.
The players
President Donald Trump
The current President of the United States who engaged in direct consultations with technology industry leaders during September 2026.
Ipsos
A global market research firm specializing in survey methodology and probability-based panel polling.
The details
The data was collected using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a probability-based research platform designed to provide representative samples of the U.S. population. Respondents were asked to assess risks associated with AI, including personal decision-making capabilities, which 62% of the public deemed a high risk. Additionally, 54% cited potential economic inequality as a primary concern linked to the technology.
Timeline
September 2026: President Donald Trump met with tech leaders at the White House.
October 9-13, 2026: The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted.
The Tech Race
This polling indicates that domestic expansion efforts are moving faster than public consensus, complicating the industry roadmap for physical data center infrastructure. The results provide a public counterpoint to the industry-government coordination established during the September 2026 White House meeting.
The survey results indicate that nearly three-quarters of Americans now oppose new data center construction in their own communities. This sentiment could lead to increased local regulatory scrutiny and zoning challenges for upcoming infrastructure projects across the country.
The takeaway
Public concern regarding AI now includes fears of human extinction from 33% of the population, signaling that industry messaging has yet to align with public perception. Watch for how federal regulatory frameworks—which 66% of Americans currently view as insufficient—evolve in response to these findings.
Further reading
For broader analysis on how domestic development is evolving, see our Artificial Intelligence coverage.
Live Poll
Do you believe the growth of artificial intelligence and its associated infrastructure is good for society?
