The share calling data centers bad for nearby quality of life rose 19 points since January
Pew surveyed 10,548 adults from July 20 to Aug 9 and found the move against data centers in rural, urban and suburban areas alike and among both parties, while Texas issued a statewide moratorium in August.
The Watch · Security desk
What happened
- Pew's new survey puts the share of Americans who say data centers are mostly bad for the environment at 54 percent, up from 39 percent in January.
- Rural respondents moved from 32 to 50 percent on environmental harm, 32 to 46 percent on home energy costs and 28 to 45 percent on nearby quality of life.
- A majority told Pew they would be uncomfortable if a new data center started operating in their area.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure Rural opposition on the environment question now sits four points below the national figure, so a greenfield build in low-density areas faces close to the national baseline.
- Who has to decide decision A statewide moratorium in one state and two governors moving toward new rules put a permitting variable into multi-year build schedules.
- What it sets up precedent The move on the local questions is nearly as large among Republicans as nationally, so a project faces the same opposition in states with friendly legislatures.
- What it limits constraint Pew measured attitudes, not permits, and with a fifth to a third of respondents still unsure on each question the toplines can move further in either direction while every project decision stays put.
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Quality of life moved 19 points, the widest of the five items Pew asked about [30]. Environment moved 15 and home energy costs 12 [22][23]. The negative shares on local jobs and local tax revenue rose 9 points each, from 15% to 24% and from 12% to 21% [7].
Pew says most data centers now planned or under development will be in rural areas [10]. The rural moves are 18, 14 and 17 points on the three local questions, and urban and suburban respondents moved in the same direction [25][26][27][17].
Both parties moved on the local questions. Republicans and Republican leaners saying data centers are mostly bad for the quality of life of people nearby went from 24% in January to 42%, an 18-point move against the national 19 [11][28][21]. On jobs and tax revenue, more Republicans still say the effects are mostly good than mostly bad, while being 7 points more likely than in January to say mostly bad [18]. Among liberal Democrats, 34% now call data centers mostly bad for local tax revenue, up from 19% [19].
Abbott had supported expansion before the moratorium [12]. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have shifted toward additional rules and oversight on data center construction and operation [13]. President Donald Trump has consistently supported construction in his second term [14]. Protests against new builds have spread, and some state and local politicians have spoken against the facilities [15]. Pew's fieldwork closed Aug 9 and the survey dates the Texas moratorium only to August, so the order of the two is not established in the record [4][12].
A large block still has no view. Between 18% and 32% say they are not sure how data centers affect each of the five items, and 12% say they have not heard of data centers at all [8]. On the environment question the split is 54% mostly bad against 4% mostly good, about 13 to 1 [1][5][24].
What to watch
- Whether the Texas moratorium is written into statute, allowed to lapse, or challenged, and whether other states copy the moratorium.
- Pew's next wave: whether the 18% to 32% unsure block splits negative or the toplines flatten.
- Whether local jobs and tax revenue, the two questions still close to even, go net negative among Republicans.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence74
- Adoption32
- Hype gap+12
- Incentives26
- Confidence71
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
More than half of Americans (54%) now say data centers are mostly bad for the environment, up from 39% in January.
- [2]
Half of Americans say data centers are mostly bad for home energy costs, up from 38% in January.
- [3]
49% say data centers are mostly bad for the quality of life of people living nearby, up from 30% in January.
- [4]
The Pew survey was conducted from July 20 to Aug. 9 among 10,548 U.S. adults.
- [5]
Just 4% of Americans think data centers have a mostly good impact in each of these areas (environment, home energy costs, quality of life nearby).
- [6]
Views on data centers' impact on local tax revenue and jobs are mixed, with similar shares of between 21% and 24% saying mostly good and mostly bad.
- [7]
Since January there have been increases of 9 percentage points in the shares saying data centers are mostly bad for local jobs (15% to 24%) and local tax revenue (12% to 21%).
- [8]
Shares ranging from 18% to 32% say they are not sure how data centers affect the five things Pew asked about, and 12% say they have not heard of data centers.
- [9]
Rural Americans became more likely to say data centers are mostly bad for the environment (32% in January to 50% in August), home energy costs (32% to 46%) and the quality of life of people living nearby (28% to 45%).
- [10]
Most data centers currently being planned or under development will be in rural areas.
- [11]
Democrats and Democratic leaners remain more negative than Republicans, but Republican views also turned more negative: 42% now say the facilities are mostly bad for the quality of life of people nearby, up from 24% in January.
- [12]
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously supported data center expansion but issued a statewide moratorium on new data centers in August.
- [13]
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have recently shifted their positions to support additional rules and oversight on data center construction and operation.
- [14]
President Donald Trump has been a vocal supporter of data centers and has consistently supported their construction in his second term.
- [15]
Protests against new data center construction have spread, and some state and local politicians have spoken out against data centers.
- [16]
A majority of Americans say they would be uncomfortable if a new data center started operating in their area.
- [17]
Americans in urban and suburban areas have also become more likely to say data centers are mostly bad for these things.
- [18]
More Republicans continue to say the effects of data centers on local jobs and tax revenue are mostly good than mostly bad, but Republicans are now 7 percentage points more likely than in January to say the effects in both areas are mostly bad.
- [19]
Liberal Democrats primarily drove the shift on local tax revenue: 34% of liberals now say data centers are mostly bad for local tax revenue, up from 19% in January.
- [20]
Men and women alike, and adults across age groups and education levels, have become more likely since January to say data centers have a mostly bad impact.
- [21]
The share saying data centers are mostly bad for nearby quality of life rose 19 percentage points since January.
- [22]
The share saying data centers are mostly bad for the environment rose 15 percentage points since January.
- [23]
The share saying data centers are mostly bad for home energy costs rose 12 percentage points since January.
- [24]
On the environment question the mostly bad share exceeds the mostly good share by roughly 13 to 1.
- [25]
Rural respondents moved 18 percentage points on data centers being mostly bad for the environment.
- [26]
Rural respondents moved 14 percentage points on data centers being mostly bad for home energy costs.
- [27]
Rural respondents moved 17 percentage points on data centers being mostly bad for nearby quality of life.
- [28]
The Republican move on nearby quality of life is 18 percentage points, one point short of the national 19.
- [29]
Rural opposition on the environment question, at 50%, sits 4 points below the national 54%.
- [30]
Quality of life nearby is the largest of the five measured moves since January, at 19 points, ahead of environment at 15, energy costs at 12, and local jobs and tax revenue at 9 each.
Sources
2 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- helpnetsecurity.comAmericans’ views on data centers have turned more negative
2 articles · September 23, 2026
- Survey: US public perception of data centers has sharply deteriorated since January, with 54% viewing them as bad for the environment, as local opposition rises
pewresearch.org
1 article · September 23, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Public opinion research
- Home energy costs
- Data Center Siting Policy
- Data centers