{
  "id": 9554735,
  "title": "Gen Z’s religious turn, the data center backlash and a ‘lack of consent’: how the youngest adults are winning battles the millennials lost",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/gen-zs-religious-turn-the-data-center-backlash-and-a-lack-of-consent",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T12:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/24/gen-z-data-center-backlash-religion-spirituality-consent-control/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gen Z is emerging as the most religiously identified generation in the United States, according to new Harris Poll data. Thirty-three percent of Gen Z adults identify as religious, compared to lower percentages among Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. The survey also found that Gen Z is the most likely generation to feel a lack of control over their future, with 57% turning to spirituality or manifestation practices to feel more empowered. This desire for control and agency appears to be a driving force behind a nationwide revolt against AI data centers, with over 500 localities across 39 states passing bans, moratoriums, or restrictions on data center construction. Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll, suggests that the data center fight and the religious turn are expressions of similar underlying needs, with a \"control element\" underlying both trends. The scale of the data center backlash is evident, with local pushback blocking or delaying 45 projects worth $68 billion in the second quarter of 2025 alone. Americans are expressing strong opposition to AI data centers, with 73% of people not wanting AI imposed on their community and 68% believing AI feels forced. Meanwhile, Gen Z is turning to in-person communities for support and connection, with 70% wanting to belong to more real-world communities in the future. This sense of community-seeking matches the trend observed in previous generations, like millennials, who also sought out control and connection in the face of perceived loss of agency.",
  "summary": "The lack-of-consent generation is making its voice heard, according to the Harris Poll.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}