- Young Americans are more likely than older generations to support data centers in their backyards, according to a Redfin survey.
- AI data centers face more pushback than other proposed building types in neighborhoods, namely new apartments and multi-use complexes.
- AI data centers are viewed as controversial partly because some Americans believe they strain electricity and water resources in communities where they’re built.
Nearly half (47%) of U.S. residents oppose the construction of an artificial intelligence data center in their neighborhood, while 38% support it.
This is according to a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos in November 2025, fielded to 4,000 U.S. residents. Please see the end of this report for more on methodology.
The U.S. has more than 3,000 AI data centers, with thousands more in development as demand for AI surges. They’re controversial largely because they strain electricity and water resources, which increases energy costs, sparks environmental concerns and disrupts nearby communities with noise and large, industrial structures. They also tap into broader fears about AI: Roughly three in five U.S. residents believe AI will eliminate jobs, according to the same Redfin survey fielded by Ipsos. At the same time, AI data centers can create well-paying jobs in fields like IT and security, support local construction employment and spur investment in energy and water infrastructure–potentially boosting struggling areas.
“A lot of local residents are frustrated about the surge in data centers in our community,” said Hazel Shakur, a Redfin Premier agent who sells homes primarily in Prince George’s County, MD. “There are already five data centers in our county, with another one planned at the site of what was once a popular mall. People are questioning whether county officials are trading long-term community vision and quality of life for projects that may not directly benefit the people who live here.”
Younger Americans More Likely to Support AI Data Centers in Their Backyards
Gen Zers (48%) and millennials (50%) are more likely than Gen Xers (38%) and baby boomers (22%) to support data centers in their backyard.
Broken down by political preference, roughly half (49%) of Republicans support the construction of an AI data center in their neighborhood, compared with 36% of Democrats.
AI Data Centers Face More Neighborhood Pushback Than Apartment Complexes
Americans are slightly more likely to oppose data centers in their neighborhood than any other type of building we asked about. Nearly half (47%) of U.S. residents oppose construction of a data center near their home; almost as many (46%) oppose converting single-family homes into smaller, multi-unit dwellings to increase housing supply.
Just over two-thirds (37%) of respondents oppose building a new apartment complex in their neighborhood, while 31% oppose a new mixed-use development nearby.
Methodology
The survey results in this report are from a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos in November 2025, fielded to 4,000 U.S. residents. The results for this combined group of survey respondents have a credibility interval of +/-1.9 percentage points.
This report focuses on a question about how respondents feel about building certain types of properties in their neighborhoods. The building types are listed in the chart in the final section of this report. Respondents could select “strongly support,” “somewhat support,” “strongly oppose,” “somewhat oppose,” or “no opinion.” For this report, we combined the strongly/somewhat responses.
Here’s the full survey questionnaire for questions referenced in this report.
