There are ‘six Americas’ on climate change, but only two on data centers

There are six distinct groups of Americans when it comes to views on climate change and data center development, but only two categories are notably present regarding data centers specifically. According to a survey of 1,068 adults conducted by researchers, 56% of respondents would oppose the construction of a data center in their local area, while only 15% would support it.

This opposition is not exclusive to any particular political group, as majorities of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans both expressed opposition. Furthermore, it was found that Americans expect data centers to raise their electricity bills by a majority (59%), regardless of their stance on climate change. The only group where a majority did not anticipate increased electricity costs was the Dismissive group, who were unsure about the impact on their power bills.

Surprisingly, a large majority of Americans, including those with varying views on climate change, support the idea of requiring data centers to offset their electricity use through measures such as rooftop solar installations and weatherization of nearby homes.