The backlash to Big Tech’s AI buildout just got a hard number. A new Gallup poll released in May 2026 found that roughly 7 in 10 Americans – 71% – oppose having a large AI data center built within 10 miles of their home. And the opposition runs deep: 43% said they “strongly oppose” the idea.
That single figure captures a shift that has been building quietly for months. As companies race to construct the enormous server farms that power artificial intelligence, the communities being asked to host them are increasingly saying no.
A Number That Should Worry Silicon Valley
Perhaps the most striking finding in the poll is the comparison Gallup drew with other kinds of heavy infrastructure. Opposition to a nearby AI data center (71%) was actually higher than opposition to a nearby nuclear power plant, which came in around 53%. In other words, more Americans would accept a nuclear reactor down the road than the windowless warehouses full of humming servers that keep AI running.
Only about 22% of those surveyed said they would support one being built near them. That leaves a wide and growing majority that is, at best, skeptical – and at worst, ready to organize against these projects.
Why People Are Pushing Back
The concerns are concrete, not abstract. Data centers consume staggering amounts of electricity and water – the power to run thousands of servers and the water to keep them cool. In many regions, residents worry those demands will strain local power grids and drive up their own utility bills, even as the facilities generate profits for some of the largest corporations on earth.
Then there is the day-to-day reality of living next to one: the constant low hum of cooling systems, the industrial footprint, the heavy construction, and the fear of what a sprawling complex does to property values and the character of a quiet neighborhood.
Communities Are Already Fighting
This is not a hypothetical debate. From Virginia – long the data-center capital of the country – to fast-growing parts of Arizona, residents have been showing up at town halls and zoning board meetings to challenge proposed projects. Their argument is consistent: the benefits, in the form of tax breaks and investment, flow to trillion-dollar tech companies, while the costs land on local families.
Supporters of the facilities counter that data centers bring jobs, tax revenue, and badly needed investment, and that the AI boom requires this infrastructure to be built somewhere. But the Gallup numbers suggest the public is no longer willing to accept “somewhere” being their own backyard without a fight.
What This Means for Americans
The poll reframes the AI conversation around a question most people can actually feel: who pays for the boom? As tech giants pour billions into computing power, the strain on local grids and water systems – and the higher electric bills that can follow – increasingly falls on ordinary residents rather than the corporations cashing in. This survey suggests Americans have noticed, and that the fights playing out at local zoning boards reflect where most of the country already stands.
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