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As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly politicized ahead of the midterm elections, the latest national survey finds voters struggling to reconcile the technology’s promise with the economic and environmental costs of the data centers needed to power it. They are especially against allowing centers in their communities while favoring them in remote locations, creating a “Not In My Backyard” dynamic.
A 71% majority opposes building AI data centers in their area, including 46% who strongly oppose them. Both of those numbers are up a touch since earlier this summer. However, the survey reveals a paradox: a 52% majority favors building them in remote locations (44% oppose).
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The central contrast is seen across community types, as about 7 in 10 urban, suburban and rural voters oppose data centers in their backyards. That consensus fades regarding remote facilities: half of urban voters (50%) and a majority of suburban voters (57%) favor building them there, while 51% of rural voters remain opposed.
Women, White voters, those without a college degree, and Democrats are more likely than men, nonwhite voters, college graduates, and Republicans to oppose data centers, whether near their community or elsewhere.
When presented with arguments for and against data centers, reactions are nuanced. By roughly 30 points, voters are less likely to support construction if told data centers could strain local water supplies (by 28 points), raise energy bills (29 points), or grow to an enormous size (29 points).
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Opposition softens when voters see direct benefits to daily life or national interests. They are more likely to be supportive if told data centers are necessary for online activities such as streaming and banking (9 points), critical infrastructure like transportation and water systems (13 points), or help maintain a competitive edge over countries like China (18 points).
These reactions to additional information operate against a backdrop of AI pessimism. Majorities of voters are more likely to see AI as bad rather than good for the U.S. economy (54% bad vs. 36% good), mental health (54-34%), society (56-34%), the environment (60-30%), and jobs (63-29%).
The lone exception is day-to-day life, where more voters say AI is a good thing by 4 points (47% good, 43% bad), down from an 11-point spread in November 2025 (50-39%).
Overall, AI technology is viewed more negatively than positively by 23 points (37% favorable vs. 60% unfavorable), widening from an 11-point deficit in April and 9 points in July. The underlying demographic patterns mirror those for data centers. Democrats (67% unfavorable), White voters without a college degree (65%), women (64%), and independents (64%) are the most negative. The most favorable views come from nonwhite men (49% favorable), voters with graduate degrees (49%), and MAGA Republicans (46%).
AI & The 2026 Midterms
On the generic congressional ballot, the Democratic candidate is ahead of the Republican by 7 points overall. Republicans have a 21-point advantage among voters who support building data centers in their communities, narrowing to 9 points among those allowing construction only in remote areas. Democrats are ahead by at least 19 points among voters who oppose data centers in either location.
Voters who view AI favorably back the Republican candidate in their district by 7 points, while those with unfavorable views back the Democrat by 17 points.
“In this election, the bottom line is that technology is no longer just a tool, it’s a wedge issue,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “As infrastructure demands force AI into the physical world, campaigns that map tech anxiety onto their voter coalitions will shape the midterm narrative.”
Voters think Democrats would better handle building AI data centers by a 14-point margin. That lead is especially strong among Black voters (D +51), voters under age 30 (D +35), Hispanic voters (D +29), and independents (D +26). It narrows among White voters (D +5) and rural voters (D +7), while White rural voters are one of the few groups to say Republicans would do better (R +4). Cross-party defections also advantage the Democrats: 15% of Republicans prefer Democrats on data centers, compared with just 4% of Democrats favoring Republicans.
A few more things…
Three-quarters of voters (76%) favor banning AI in kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms, with some of the strongest preference for the ban among moms (81%).
Support for banning cellphones in K-12 classrooms is also high: 72% favor the policy and 25% oppose it.
In addition, a majority supports prohibiting police departments from using automated license plate readers, such as Flock Safety cameras (57% favor vs. 39% oppose).
Age creates the biggest divide: Voters under 30 would ban license plate readers by 28 points, while those 65 and over support them by 7 points. Partisans show unusual agreement on banning the cameras, though by different margins: Democrats by 27 points, independents by 23 points, and Republicans by 6 points.
Conducted September 11-14, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,211 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (96) and cellphones (821) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (294). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
