Collapse in Support for AI Data Centers Captured in New Poll

A new poll by Embod Research and published by Heatmap Pro shows 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, up from 42% a year earlier, with opposition spanning all demographics. Heatmap executive editor Robinson Meyer called the shift 'a swift, massive shift in US public opinion on a scale that I wouldn’t have once thought possible.'

'I've Never Seen This': Massive Collapse in Support for AI Data Centers Captured in New Poll "If you can think of a cohort of Americans, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t welcome a data center in their area." A poll released on Thursday shows a massive collapse in support for building artificial intelligence https://www.commondreams.org/tag/artificial-intelligence data centers among Republican, Democratic, and independent voters. The poll https://heatmap.news/daily/data-center-opposition-poll-collapse , which was conducted by Embold Research and published by Heatmap Pro, shows that 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, including 61% registering strong opposition. Just one year before, 42% of Americans said they opposed AI data centers in their areas, compared with 43% who expressed support. The collapse in support has also been uniform across all demographics, the pollsters found. "If you can think of a cohort of Americans, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t welcome a data center in their area," explained Heatmap executive editor Robinson Meyer. "The shift against the facilities is represented across age, gender, income, partisan ID, and the rural-urban divide. Data centers are 43 points underwater with Republicans https://www.commondreams.org/tag/republicans , 65 points underwater with independents, and 75 points underwater with Democrats." Meyer further described https://x.com/robinsonmeyer/status/2090457322506141760 the drop in support for data centers as "a swift, massive shift in US public opinion on a scale that I wouldn’t have once thought possible." Other observers expressed similar shock over how quickly US voters have turned against data centers, which President Donald Trump https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump on Wednesday touted https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-data-center-propaganda as a great source of jobs, even though the facilities employ very few people relative to their size once completed. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen public opinion shift this quickly on an issue," wrote https://x.com/admcrlsn/status/2090486472134504799 Adam Carlson, founding partner at Zenith Polls. Justin Slaughter, vice president of regulatory affairs at venture capital firm Paradigm, expressed astonishment at how quickly Americans' views on AI data centers had fallen in just the span of a year. "I’ve NEVER seen this," Slaughter wrote https://x.com/JBSDC/status/2090491501889437893 . "Data center opponents are converting supporters not just to neutral but to opposition." Technologist Ramez Naam, a former computer scientist at Microsoft https://www.commondreams.org/tag/microsoft , described the shift against data centers as "crazy" and asked https://x.com/ramez/status/2090515931218993383 , "When's the last time political opinions on an issue shifted that fast?" The social media https://www.commondreams.org/tag/social-media account for Oil https://www.commondreams.org/tag/oil PAC Tracker pointed to several reasons for US voters to distrust the AI industry, including developers forcing local government officials to sign nondisclosure agreements NDAs related to data center development and predictions from tech CEOs about the technology https://www.commondreams.org/tag/technology putting millions of people out of work. "Sign secret NDAs, arrest people at city council meetings, surveil, tout job displacement, and raise utility bills and pollution https://www.commondreams.org/tag/pollution ," wrote https://x.com/TrackOilPACs/status/2090458842492461164 Oil PAC Tracker, "this is what you expect." Max Steele, senior director of communications at gun safety advocacy organization Everytown, sarcastically argued that the AI industry's collapse in popularity was an impressive achievement. "Credit where credit is due," Steele wrote https://x.com/maxasteele/status/2090520445363613792 , "the tech sector has managed to unite a deeply divided country at a time of maximal partisanship." An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder https://www.commondreams.org/message-from-common-dreams Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever.We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives?—Craig Brown, Co-founder | A poll released on Thursday shows a massive collapse in support for building artificial intelligence https://www.commondreams.org/tag/artificial-intelligence data centers among Republican, Democratic, and independent voters. The poll https://heatmap.news/daily/data-center-opposition-poll-collapse , which was conducted by Embold Research and published by Heatmap Pro, shows that 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, including 61% registering strong opposition. Just one year before, 42% of Americans said they opposed AI data centers in their areas, compared with 43% who expressed support. The collapse in support has also been uniform across all demographics, the pollsters found. "If you can think of a cohort of Americans, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t welcome a data center in their area," explained Heatmap executive editor Robinson Meyer. "The shift against the facilities is represented across age, gender, income, partisan ID, and the rural-urban divide. Data centers are 43 points underwater with Republicans https://www.commondreams.org/tag/republicans , 65 points underwater with independents, and 75 points underwater with Democrats." Meyer further described https://x.com/robinsonmeyer/status/2090457322506141760 the drop in support for data centers as "a swift, massive shift in US public opinion on a scale that I wouldn’t have once thought possible." Other observers expressed similar shock over how quickly US voters have turned against data centers, which President Donald Trump https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump on Wednesday touted https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-data-center-propaganda as a great source of jobs, even though the facilities employ very few people relative to their size once completed. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen public opinion shift this quickly on an issue," wrote https://x.com/admcrlsn/status/2090486472134504799 Adam Carlson, founding partner at Zenith Polls. Justin Slaughter, vice president of regulatory affairs at venture capital firm Paradigm, expressed astonishment at how quickly Americans' views on AI data centers had fallen in just the span of a year. "I’ve NEVER seen this," Slaughter wrote https://x.com/JBSDC/status/2090491501889437893 . "Data center opponents are converting supporters not just to neutral but to opposition." Technologist Ramez Naam, a former computer scientist at Microsoft https://www.commondreams.org/tag/microsoft , described the shift against data centers as "crazy" and asked https://x.com/ramez/status/2090515931218993383 , "When's the last time political opinions on an issue shifted that fast?" The social media https://www.commondreams.org/tag/social-media account for Oil https://www.commondreams.org/tag/oil PAC Tracker pointed to several reasons for US voters to distrust the AI industry, including developers forcing local government officials to sign nondisclosure agreements NDAs related to data center development and predictions from tech CEOs about the technology https://www.commondreams.org/tag/technology putting millions of people out of work. "Sign secret NDAs, arrest people at city council meetings, surveil, tout job displacement, and raise utility bills and pollution https://www.commondreams.org/tag/pollution ," wrote https://x.com/TrackOilPACs/status/2090458842492461164 Oil PAC Tracker, "this is what you expect." Max Steele, senior director of communications at gun safety advocacy organization Everytown, sarcastically argued that the AI industry's collapse in popularity was an impressive achievement. "Credit where credit is due," Steele wrote https://x.com/maxasteele/status/2090520445363613792 , "the tech sector has managed to unite a deeply divided country at a time of maximal partisanship." As Outcry Grows Over Data Centers, Trump Claims 'Smart' Towns Want the Energy-Sucking, Water-Guzzling Facilities › https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-on-data-centers Opposition to AI Goes Beyond Data Centers, as Poll Shows Massive Distrust of Big Tech CEOs › https://www.commondreams.org/news/americans-distrust-ai-ceos Leaked GOP Memo Warns Big Tech That AI Data Centers as Popular as 'Nuclear Waste' › https://www.commondreams.org/news/gop-data-center-memo 'Have Your Friend Elon Build One at Mar-a-Lago,' Says Sanders After Trump Comments on Data Centers | Common Dreams › https://www.commondreams.org/news/data-center-trump-mar-a-lago A poll released on Thursday shows a massive collapse in support for building artificial intelligence https://www.commondreams.org/tag/artificial-intelligence data centers among Republican, Democratic, and independent voters. The poll https://heatmap.news/daily/data-center-opposition-poll-collapse , which was conducted by Embold Research and published by Heatmap Pro, shows that 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, including 61% registering strong opposition. Just one year before, 42% of Americans said they opposed AI data centers in their areas, compared with 43% who expressed support. The collapse in support has also been uniform across all demographics, the pollsters found. "If you can think of a cohort of Americans, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t welcome a data center in their area," explained Heatmap executive editor Robinson Meyer. "The shift against the facilities is represented across age, gender, income, partisan ID, and the rural-urban divide. Data centers are 43 points underwater with Republicans https://www.commondreams.org/tag/republicans , 65 points underwater with independents, and 75 points underwater with Democrats." Meyer further described https://x.com/robinsonmeyer/status/2090457322506141760 the drop in support for data centers as "a swift, massive shift in US public opinion on a scale that I wouldn’t have once thought possible." Other observers expressed similar shock over how quickly US voters have turned against data centers, which President Donald Trump https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump on Wednesday touted https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-data-center-propaganda as a great source of jobs, even though the facilities employ very few people relative to their size once completed. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen public opinion shift this quickly on an issue," wrote https://x.com/admcrlsn/status/2090486472134504799 Adam Carlson, founding partner at Zenith Polls. Justin Slaughter, vice president of regulatory affairs at venture capital firm Paradigm, expressed astonishment at how quickly Americans' views on AI data centers had fallen in just the span of a year. "I’ve NEVER seen this," Slaughter wrote https://x.com/JBSDC/status/2090491501889437893 . "Data center opponents are converting supporters not just to neutral but to opposition." Technologist Ramez Naam, a former computer scientist at Microsoft https://www.commondreams.org/tag/microsoft , described the shift against data centers as "crazy" and asked https://x.com/ramez/status/2090515931218993383 , "When's the last time political opinions on an issue shifted that fast?" The social media https://www.commondreams.org/tag/social-media account for Oil https://www.commondreams.org/tag/oil PAC Tracker pointed to several reasons for US voters to distrust the AI industry, including developers forcing local government officials to sign nondisclosure agreements NDAs related to data center development and predictions from tech CEOs about the technology https://www.commondreams.org/tag/technology putting millions of people out of work. "Sign secret NDAs, arrest people at city council meetings, surveil, tout job displacement, and raise utility bills and pollution https://www.commondreams.org/tag/pollution ," wrote https://x.com/TrackOilPACs/status/2090458842492461164 Oil PAC Tracker, "this is what you expect." Max Steele, senior director of communications at gun safety advocacy organization Everytown, sarcastically argued that the AI industry's collapse in popularity was an impressive achievement. "Credit where credit is due," Steele wrote https://x.com/maxasteele/status/2090520445363613792 , "the tech sector has managed to unite a deeply divided country at a time of maximal partisanship." As Outcry Grows Over Data Centers, Trump Claims 'Smart' Towns Want the Energy-Sucking, Water-Guzzling Facilities › https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-on-data-centers Opposition to AI Goes Beyond Data Centers, as Poll Shows Massive Distrust of Big Tech CEOs › https://www.commondreams.org/news/americans-distrust-ai-ceos Leaked GOP Memo Warns Big Tech That AI Data Centers as Popular as 'Nuclear Waste' › https://www.commondreams.org/news/gop-data-center-memo 'Have Your Friend Elon Build One at Mar-a-Lago,' Says Sanders After Trump Comments on Data Centers | Common Dreams › https://www.commondreams.org/news/data-center-trump-mar-a-lago We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? 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