According to Axios, a new poll by the consulting firm Milltown Partners reveals that data center backlash is becoming increasingly symbolic rather than local. Only eight percent of Americans who oppose data centers say they actually live near one. Yet nearly half of all respondents support a temporary moratorium on new data center construction, while just sixteen percent oppose it. This split suggests the real issue isn't proximity to actual facilities — it's anxiety about AI's broader impact. Data centers have become the physical face of wider fears about job loss and the pace of AI transformation, even among voters who live nowhere near one. The survey included nearly seven thousand registered voters in states with active data center projects.

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