Thousands of data centers operate in the United States, with nearly 1,800 new facilities proposed or under construction, according to Cleanview, a market intelligence company that monitors power projects.
A new Epoch Times survey of 1,505 readers shows most Americans want limits on the expansion as the world enters the next phase of the digital age.
Here are the results.
Development
The sample group was questioned on how closely they followed the debate over data centers, and 84 percent said very or somewhat closely, while 15 percent said a little or not at all.
When asked if there was a data center operating, under construction, or proposed near their home, 41 percent of people polled said yes and 58 percent said no or not sure.
More than half of respondents (55 percent) agreed the United States should accelerate data center construction to compete with China in artificial intelligence, while just over a quarter (26 percent) said no, and 19 percent remained neutral or unsure.
When those polled were asked if they would support having a large data center in their community, 38 percent of readers surveyed said yes, 47 percent said no, and 15 percent remained neutral.
Costs
More than 95 percent of those surveyed agreed on three points: Data centers should pay the full cost of the power infrastructure they require, even if this slows construction; utilities should not pass data center-related costs on to households and small businesses; and large data centers should provide or finance the new electricity generation they require.
When asked if data center construction should be limited where it could threaten grid reliability, 88 percent agreed, 8 percent stayed neutral, and 4 percent disagreed.
Seventy-six percent agreed data centers should be restricted in areas facing water shortages, even if communities lose investment, while 9 percent said no, and 15 percent remained neutral.
Taxes
When readers were asked if states should end special tax breaks for data centers, 69 percent agreed, 15 percent disagreed, and 16 percent remained neutral.
Poll participants were also asked if local tax revenue can justify data center incentives even when projects create few permanent jobs, and 29 percent agreed, 48 percent disagreed, and 23 percent remained neutral.
When asked if a developer’s identity, tax incentives, and projected resource use should be disclosed before an approval vote, 94 percent of respondents agreed, 2 percent disagreed, and 4 percent remained neutral.
Public Pushback
Seventy-nine percent of those polled agreed that communities should be allowed to pause new data center approvals while studying their local effects, while 9 percent disagreed, and 12 percent remained neutral.
People were mixed on whether voters should approve exceptionally large data center projects before they begin, with 69 percent agreeing, 17 percent disagreeing, and 14 percent remaining neutral.
Government
Only 16 percent of survey takers agreed that in order to compete with China in AI, the federal government should be able to override local data center restrictions, while 66 percent disagreed, and 18 percent remained neutral.
Readers were mixed when asked whether the government should fast-track nuclear power projects needed to support data centers, with 66 percent agreeing, 15 percent disagreeing and 19 percent remaining neutral.
A whopping 97 percent agreed that companies controlled by China or other foreign adversaries should be barred from operating U.S. data centers.
When asked if a candidate’s position on data centers will be an important factor in their 2026 vote, 62 percent said yes, 13 percent disagreed, and 25 percent remained neutral.
Just over half (51 percent) of poll takers said they trusted the Republican Party to handle data center development, 41 percent said neither party, 5 percent were not sure, and 2 percent said the Democrats.
Poll takers were mixed on their greatest concern regarding data centers, with 23 percent saying water use and environment, 20 percent saying strain on the power grid, 11 percent fearing higher electricity bills, 11 percent worrying about loss of local control, 5 percent concerned about tax breaks and limited permanent jobs, and 30 percent saying they had other concerns.
