Public should be able to limit data centers that put strain on communities

By Jon Styf
The Center Square

American voters say local communities should be able to limit data centers if they cause a strain on electricity, water, land or infrastructure, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 68% think that communities should be able to limit data centers if they strain those local resources while 22% believe that communities should accept those trade-offs for the benefits of economic growth and the country’s technology future.

The results come from a survey conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Aug. 12-16 that polled registered voters nationally via opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The sample included 2,533 respondents comprised of 930 Republicans, 930 Democrats, and 673 Independents. Among independent voters, 330 respondents were classified as true independents, which are individuals who do not lean toward either major party when given the choice. The margin of error is +/- 2.0%.

Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, said that polling has shown that “the incentives are bad but what’s even worse is electricity and water. If they are gobbling up local resources, that’s even worse to the electorate.”

Data centers have become hot political topics across the country with local Republicans contrasting with President Donald Trump’s national push for artificial intelligence data centers in Republican-leaning areas such as Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott is now pushing back against data centers.

Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany is doing the same in Wisconsin, pushing the moniker “Data Center David” on Democratic opponent David Crowley in the race to become the next governor.

“I think [Abbott]’s a skilled politician by making that move,” Noble said.

The Voters’ Voice poll results were similar across genders, ages and political affiliations.

“What has been the problem with data centers is their branding is bad and it keeps going from bad to worse,” Noble said.

Polling results from earlier this year showed that voters think building more data centers in the United States is not worth the potential strain on local electricity, water and infrastructure and that the negatives outweigh the importance for national security and competing with China.

A second question concluded that local governments should be cautious about new data centers because they can place strain on electricity, water, land and local infrastructure.