As data centers break ground in communities across the country, Americans are growing more concerned about the environmental impacts. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, which found that about half (53%) of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about AI’s environmental impacts. The number is up from 41% last year.
The concern is shared across all party affiliations. More Democrats, Republicans, and Independents said they are “extremely or very” worried about the environmental impacts compared to last year—with 65% of Democrats, 42% of Republicans, and 49% of Independents reporting their concern this year.
There are currently 1,287 data centers in operation in the U.S., with more than 2,000 planned projects, according to Clearview, a market intelligence company tracking U.S. power infrastructure and data center development. Virginia and Texas currently have the most data centers in operation, but many new developments are planned in rural areas in the South and Midwest. The growth is driven by the rise in hyperscale data centers, which are larger, more powerful, and often used to train and run large-scale AI models.
Read more: Community Backlash to AI Data Centers Is Growing Across the U.S.
Despite the boom, Americans seem to be increasingly supportive of measures to regulate growth. About 6 in 10 Americans said they would support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built—including most Democrats and Republicans—the survey found.
Democrats seem to be the most concerned by the environmental impacts of data center growth. About two-thirds say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about how AI will affect the environment, the poll found, compared to about half in 2025. By contrast, about half of Independents and 4 in 10 Republicans are highly concerned about the environmental impact of AI.
Republicans, on the other hand, are more likely to see the benefits of data centers. Yet about 3 in 10 Republicans still believe the centers are “not very” or “not at all” beneficial for improved infrastructure and job creation.
What are the main environmental impacts from AI that people are concerned about?
A majority (60%) of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built, according to the new poll.
The concerns are not unfounded. A U.N. report published in June estimated that the water used by AI is expected to greatly expand in the coming years—equaling the needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030 and threatening natural resources for billions around the world. In the U.S. alone, data centers could account for 11.8% of electricity consumption by 2030, according to a 2024 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Report.
The poll found that Americans are more worried about the environmental impact of AI than other industries with a substantial environmental footprint like the meat industry or air travel. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are in favor of requiring data centers to use clean energy sources, like wind or solar, to supply their electricity needs. Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats support this, along with 56% of Republicans.
But in the absence of clean energy alternatives, U.S. data centers are projected to consume more natural gas than most countries by 2035, according to a new report from BloombergNEF.
The Trump Administration—which has been undoing climate rules that could help spur clean energy—has strongly supported data center expansion, urging communities to "let Data Reign” in a social media post on Monday. "The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” he wrote. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign."
Americans seem to be less certain. Roughly a quarter of U.S. adults surveyed said data centers are “extremely” or “very” beneficial when it comes to technological advancement, and only about 2 in 10 say the same about job creation. Many U.S. adults say data centers are “somewhat” beneficial or aren’t sure, while about one quarter say they’re “not very” or “not at all” beneficial for technological advancement, and around a third don’t see any benefit for job creation. (Some research has shown that, while data center construction can yield a number of temporary jobs, facilities tend to employ fewer permanent employees.)
The survey results come as a growing number of cities and states have been placing moratoriums on data center growth until the impacts are better understood. As of September 2026, 313 moratoriums have been enacted, affecting 44 states and more than 200 cities, counties, and localities, according to the Urban Institute.
Many believe it's essential to pause data center growth now—before the number of data centers across the country explodes. “We’re undertaking a massive experiment in real time, and I don’t think there’ll be any putting the milk back in the bottle,” Michael Greenstone, who directs the University of Chicago institute that collaborated on the survey, told the AP. “Change is scary, and I think some of that is being reflected here.”
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