Half of Americans Back Data Center Moratoriums, Survey Finds

A national survey reveals widespread support for slowing data center construction, with nearly half of Americans backing temporary bans similar to Seattle's recent moratorium.

Milltown Partners, a consulting firm working with AI labs and tech startups, polled nearly 7,000 Americans and found 49% support a moratorium on new data center construction. Only 16% oppose such pauses. The findings suggest public concern extends beyond Seattle's city limits to a broader national conversation about AI infrastructure.

Why it matters

Data centers have emerged as tangible focal points for abstract anxieties about artificial intelligence — representing fears about rising utility costs, environmental impact, and economic disruption that many Americans believe they'll bear without choosing.

Mixed signals on local development

The survey results reveal nuanced public sentiment. When asked specifically about data centers near their homes, 38% of respondents said they would support such development, while 34% would oppose it. The gap between local acceptance and support for broader moratoriums indicates Americans aren't uniformly against the facilities but want more control over deployment pace and conditions.

Seattle's city council passed a one-year construction moratorium last month after four companies approached Seattle City Light about building five large-scale data centers. Council members cited concerns about electricity costs, pollution, and noise levels. This week, the council approved higher electricity rates specifically for new data centers, set to take effect when the moratorium expires.

Washington state trend

Other Washington cities are following Seattle's lead. Pasco enacted a six-month moratorium this week. Federal Way and Spokane recently passed one-year bans. Tacoma officials clarified their city code already prohibits data centers within city limits.

Job loss fears fuel backlash

Milltown Partners researcher Tom Brookes pointed to warnings from tech leaders about AI-driven job displacement as a key factor amplifying public resistance. "This isn't happening in a vacuum," Brookes said. "The AI transformation is arriving at a time when Americans already feel angry, insecure and pessimistic."

Andy Hall, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, warned in May that a two-percentage-point unemployment increase blamed on AI would trigger a "real populist backlash."

The massive, windowless warehouses filled with computing infrastructure have become physical symbols of broader AI concerns — concrete manifestations of an uncertain technological future many Americans feel is being imposed rather than chosen.

These details were first reported by Axios.