Nuclear Power Plants Far More Popular Than AI Data Centers For Local Areas
Nuclear Power Plants Far More Popular Than AI Data Centers For Local Areas
Publish Date: 2026-05-13 14:05:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
Topline
Americans are so against the construction of artificial intelligence data centers in their local areas that they’d rather see a nuclear power plant built nearby, according to new polling data released by Gallup.
An Amazon Web Services data center near single-family homes in Stone Ridge, Virginia.
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Key Facts
A Gallup survey released Wednesday shows 71% of Americans are somewhat or strongly opposed to the building of AI data centers in their area, mostly out of concern for their environmental impact.
That number is much higher than the 53% of respondents who said they’d oppose the building of a nuclear energy plant in their area (more than one-third of the U.S. population lives or works within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant).
Seventy percent of respondents said they were worried to some degree about how the centers, infamous for their massive energy and water consumption, would impact the local environment, and other respondents cited concerns about quality of life, economic impact and general worries about AI.
Only 7% of people said they strongly favor the building of data centers nearby, and those people, along with the 20% who responded they’re “somewhat” in favor, said they think the centers would benefit the economy, create jobs and increase tax revenue.
The majority of all major demographic groups and political parties said they would oppose having a data center built where they live, but women and Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to be strongly opposed.
Key Background
AI data centers are specialized, high-performance facilities designed specifically to allow for the mass training of artificial intelligence models. Before AI, data centers spanned about 100,000 square feet and were mostly used to run internet-based businesses and for cloud computing, but the massive energy needs of the new technology have spurred the creation of megacampuses that cover millions of square feet and hundreds of acres. Those centers, which house…
