A new survey published by Redfin found nearly half (47%) of US residents do not want artificial intelligence data centers constructed in their neighborhood, while 38% have no problems with these facilities in their community.
The survey, fielded by Ipsos with input from 4,000 adults last November, found Gen Zers (48%) and millennials (50%) were more likely than Gen Xers (38%) and baby boomers (22%) to support data centers in their neighborhood. Along partisan lines, roughly half (49%) of Republicans were in favor of local construction of an AI data center, compared with 36% of Democrats.
In comparison to the opposition of data center construction, almost as many survey respondents (46%) opposed converting single-family homes into smaller, multi-unit dwellings to increase housing supply and over one-third (37%) opposed building a new apartment complex in their neighborhood, while 31% opposed having a new mixed-use development nearby.
“A lot of local residents are frustrated about the surge in data centers in our community,” said Hazel Shakur, a Redfin Premier agent who sells homes primarily in Prince George’s County, Maryland. “There are already five data centers in our county, with another one planned at the site of what was once a popular mall. People are questioning whether county officials are trading long-term community vision and quality of life for projects that may not directly benefit the people who live here.”
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