GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Opposing data centers is perhaps the one issue where Democrats and Republicans are aligned, and a new poll from Stockton University has found that nearly two-thirds of New Jersey residents don’t want one in their town.
Polling director Alyssa Maurice said support for data centers built in other areas is about even among those for and against. However, opposition jumps when people are asked about a data center in their town.
“We figured there was going to be a bit of a NIMBY effect at play. Data centers are an easier sell in the abstract, perhaps three states over,” she said.
She said while the opposition to local data centers is strong, a lot of people opposed are also using AI.
“People are using these tools in their daily life, but there’s pretty strong philosophical opposition to data center development,” said Maurice.
Poll respondents said they have concerns about energy and water usage as well as environmental impacts. The opposition in the poll is also somewhat bipartisan, but Maurice noted Republicans tend to be a little more supportive of the data centers.
