A New York Times/Siena University poll released this week has found that a large majority of American voters oppose the construction of AI-powered data centres, though this hostility is not translating into a clear political advantage for either major party. The findings echo earlier surveys and help explain why politicians on both sides have grown wary of championing the technology, even as data centre opposition still ranks low among voters' priorities for the upcoming midterms.

Of the 1,503 likely voters surveyed in early September, 61% opposed data centre construction, with just 14% strongly in favour, and the split fell largely along how people voted in 2024: Trump voters were roughly evenly divided (49% support to 45% oppose), while Harris voters and non-voters leaned strongly against, at 74% and 67% respectively. Among opponents, 56% favoured limits rather than an outright ban (38%), with environmental and water-use concerns the top objection (32%), followed by impacts on local communities (21%) and general distrust of AI (18%). Despite this opposition, the issue barely registers as a voting priority, scoring under 1% for most groups (rising to 3% among 18-29 year-olds), and voters overwhelmingly trust their own party to handle it, leaving Democrats and Republicans roughly tied overall at 40% to 42%.