Gone are the days of the Cold War, of nuclear anxiety, of those old animated “Duck and Cover” PSAs we were shown in school: Americans are now more opposed to an AI data center in their neighborhood than a nuclear power plant.
A Gallup survey conducted in March found that 71% of U.S. adults oppose the construction of an AI data center in their local area, with nearly half (48%) strongly opposed while only 27% are in favor. But perhaps the most surprising figure from the survey is that only 53% opposed a nuclear energy plant in their backyard instead, nearly 20 points lower than the data center opposition crowd.
