Californians overwhelmingly reject the idea of new data centers popping up in their neighborhoods, according to a fresh statewide survey that underscores growing friction between the artificial intelligence boom and the communities where that technology’s infrastructure actually gets built.
The Public Policy Institute of California polled 1,578 adults and found that 73% oppose constructing data centers where they live. The sentiment cuts across party lines — both Democrats and Republicans disapprove by wide margins, though Republicans showed slightly more openness to the facilities than Democrats did.
The resistance isn’t unique to California. National polling has found similarly lopsided opposition to data centers, suggesting the pushback reflects a broader unease with the physical footprint of the AI industry rather than a distinctly Californian concern.
That presents a real problem for the tech sector, which has become a driving force behind the Bay Area’s economy. Industry estimates put the number of California jobs tied to AI and data center operations at 665,000, with billions of dollars flowing into state and local tax coffers as a result.
Opposition proved strongest in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County, two regions that have seen a wave of proposed data center projects in recent years as companies search for available land and power capacity outside the coastal core. Meanwhile, 63% of all respondents voiced concern about the environmental toll of these facilities, with Bay Area residents expressing the most worry of any region surveyed.
The findings arrive amid a string of real-world clashes over data center development. San Francisco recently saw a public protest against the industry’s expansion, the city of Monterey Park moved to ban data centers outright, and residents in Imperial Valley have filed lawsuits challenging a proposed facility there. Together, these flashpoints paint a picture of a state where local resistance to data centers is hardening into organized opposition, even as the industry continues to expand statewide.
Despite that apparent unity on data centers, the same survey revealed cracks in Californians’ support for environmental policy more broadly, driven largely by concerns over cost of living.
Opposition to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandate ending sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 has climbed sharply, with 66% of respondents now against the policy — up from 49% back in July 2021. Republicans overwhelmingly reject the rule, with 91% opposed, while Democrats are now nearly evenly split, with half expressing opposition.
A similar tension showed up around renewable energy. While 62% of those surveyed still back California’s mandate requiring all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2045, almost the same share of respondents said their gas and electric bills are already too expensive. Only 38% said they’d be willing to pay more to support wind and solar power — a gap that suggests affordability concerns may be catching up with the state’s climate ambitions even as its residents hold the line against unwanted data center development in their backyards.
Original source: CalMatters
