Poll: AI and Data Centers
This Navigator Research report covers the latest perceptions of utility and energy costs, artificial intelligence, and data centers from Americans in the battleground.
Battleground Constituents Don’t Like Utility and Energy Companies
Americans in the battleground are unfavorable towards utility and energy companies. Utility companies have a net favorability of -38 (25% favorable – 63% unfavorable) and energy companies have a net favorability of -36 (26% favorable – 62% unfavorable). Utility and energy companies also have a net negative favorability among Democrats (-45 and -59, respectively), Republicans (-25 and -14, respectively), and independents (-37 and -32, respectively).
Battleground constituents are slightly more favorable towards technology companies, which have a net favorability of -23 (34% favorable – 57% unfavorable). However, there is a big difference based on party. Technology companies have a net -56 favorability among Democrats and net -26 among independents. Among Republicans, technology companies have a +18 net favorability.
Battleground constituents who live close to a data center are more likely to view technology companies unfavorably. Among battleground Americans living close to data centers, their net favorability of technology companies is -37 (26% favorable – 63% unfavorable).
Battleground Americans Say Utility Costs Have Gone Up More Than Any Other Cost
84% of battleground constituents said their utility costs have gone up over the past year, more than said the same for any of the other costs tested. Nearly half (48%) of battleground Americans say their utility costs have “gone up a lot” over the past year.
85% of Americans in the battleground think that Congress can do something to lower the cost of their utilities, including 49% who say Congress can do “a great deal” to lower those costs. The only cost that battleground constituents were more confident that Congress could do more to lower were health care costs (91%).
Americans In The Battleground Blame Utility Companies, AI, Data Centers, And Crypto For Increased Energy Costs
When asked who they blame for rising utility costs, the most popular answer among battleground constituents was utility companies (37% blame) followed by industries that use a lot of energy, like data centers, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence (33%).
Among those battleground Americans who live close to a data center, a plurality (44%) say they blame industries that use a lot of energy, including data centers, crypto currency, and artificial intelligence. 39% of these Americans living close to a data center blame utility companies.
While overall, Americans in the battleground are evenly split on blaming state and federal government for rising utility costs (27% blame each), battleground constituents who live close to data centers are more likely to blame state government (33% blame) than federal government (25% blame) for their high energy costs.
Awareness Of Where Data Centers Are Located, And Data Centers Overall, Is Low
Awareness of data centers in battleground Americans’ area is low. 8% say they live close to a data center and 5% say they don’t live close to one but see them regularly. 47% say they don’t know where data centers are located in their areas.
In Navigator’s December national survey, overall understanding of data centers was low, with only 43% of Americans saying they’ve heard at least something about them.
