Americans want the AI boom. They just do not want it on their street. A new poll finds most US residents would rather not live near an AI data centre. Yet the same buildings quietly bankroll schools where they cluster.
More than half of US residents, 53%, oppose building an AI data centre in their neighbourhood. That is according to a survey commissioned by Redfin and run by Ipsos in May. Around a third, 34%, support it. That makes data centres less welcome than any other structure Redfin asked about: 39% oppose a new apartment block, and 32% a mixed-use development.
The resistance skews older. Roughly two-thirds of baby boomers, 65%, and 60% of Gen Xers oppose a nearby data centre, against 42% of Gen Zers and 43% of millennials.
Why people push back
The objections are practical and broad. Data centres strain power and water, raise noise, and drop large industrial buildings into residential areas. They also carry a wider dread about the technology. Nearly three in five residents, 58%, told Redfin they think AI will cut jobs and make homes harder to afford.
