People Would Rather Have An Amazon Warehouse In Their Backyard Than A Data Center
New polls reveal most Americans oppose data centers in their communities. Here is what the numbers say and why it matters for AI's future.
Matilda
People Would Rather Have An Amazon Warehouse In Their Backyard Than A Data Center
Data Centers Are Losing the Neighborhood Vote — Here Is Why That Matters Most people do not want a data center built near their home. That is the clear takeaway from two major polls published in early 2026 — and the numbers are far more dramatic than the tech industry might have expected. As artificial intelligence continues its explosive growth, the infrastructure powering it is running into a very human problem: local resistance. What the Polls Actually Found A Harvard and MIT survey conducted in November 2025 asked roughly 1,000 Americans how they felt about various industrial facilities being built in their neighborhoods. Data centers landed at 40% support and 32% opposition — numbers that might sound acceptable until you put them next to the competition. People said they would rather have an e-commerce warehouse next door. That comparison is striking. Warehouses are loud, they bring heavy truck traffic, and they are hardly considered glamorous neighbors. Yet data centers — often marke…
