Majority of Americans Now Worried About AI's Environmental Impact

Growing Environmental Concerns Cross Party Lines

As data centers proliferate across the United States, public anxiety about their environmental consequences is intensifying. A new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reveals that 53% of Americans now report being "extremely" or "very" concerned about AI's environmental impacts—a significant jump from 41% in 2025.

The concern transcends partisan divides. This year, 65% of Democrats, 49% of Independents, and 42% of Republicans expressed high levels of worry about environmental effects, all representing increases from the previous year's polling.

Why it matters

The polling data arrives as communities nationwide grapple with unprecedented data center expansion—more than 2,000 facilities are currently in planning stages. The findings suggest that public support for AI infrastructure may be more conditional than tech industry advocates assume, potentially complicating site selection and regulatory approval processes. With 60% of Americans favoring limits on new data center construction, the gap between federal policy encouraging rapid buildout and local sentiment is widening.

Infrastructure Boom Drives Debate

Currently, 1,287 data centers operate in the U.S., according to Clearview, a market intelligence firm tracking power infrastructure. Virginia and Texas lead in existing facilities, but many planned developments target rural areas in the South and Midwest. The expansion is fueled by hyperscale data centers—massive facilities designed to train and operate large AI models.

Americans' environmental worries about AI now exceed their concerns about industries with established environmental footprints, including meat production and air travel. Specifically, 60% express high concern about data centers' impact on local electricity prices and water supplies.

These concerns reflect documented resource demands. A June U.N. report projected that AI's water consumption could equal the needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030. Separately, a 2024 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory analysis estimated data centers could consume 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030.

Support for Regulation Grows

Roughly six in ten Americans now support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built, including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans. About two-thirds favor requiring data centers to use clean energy sources like wind or solar, with support reaching 80% among Democrats and 56% among Republicans.

Yet without clean energy alternatives, U.S. data centers are projected to consume more natural gas than most countries by 2035, according to BloombergNEF.

Skepticism About Economic Benefits

Americans appear uncertain about data centers' promised economic advantages. Only about a quarter of respondents said the facilities are "extremely" or "very" beneficial for technological advancement, while roughly two in ten see significant job creation benefits. Research indicates that while construction generates temporary employment, operational staffing remains limited.

As of September 2026, 313 moratoriums affecting 44 states and more than 200 localities have been enacted to pause data center growth pending further impact assessment, according to the Urban Institute.

"We're undertaking a massive experiment in real time, and I don't think there'll be any putting the milk back in the bottle," Michael Greenstone, who directs the University of Chicago institute that collaborated on the survey, told the AP. "Change is scary, and I think some of that is being reflected here."

These findings were first reported by TIME.