Voters oppose AI data centers, parties tied

a new york times and siena university poll of 1503 likely voters in early september found 61% opposed to constructing data centers for ai, with only 14% strongly supporting it. the split among 2024 donald trump voters was 49% support to 45% oppose, while kamala harris voters and those who didn't vote leaned oppose, at 74% and 67% respectively. 56% of those opposed to data centers supported limits, while 38% preferred a total ban. concerns about environment/water usage were most common at 32%, followed by impact on local communities at 21%, and general distrust or dislike of ai at 18%. ai and data centers ranked low on the list of issues that voters saw as most important in deciding their midterm vote, at less than 1% for most demographics. this affects ai development plans and signals challenges for politicians.