A survey by the 91视频's Hobby School of Public Affairs found likely voters show near universal support for requiring data center owners to pay for any required electrical grid expansion. (Credit Getty Images)
Key Takeaways
- A new survey from the 91视频鈥檚 Hobby School of Public Affairs shows more than 80% of Texas voters say they are concerned about the impact data centers will have on electricity prices, the water supply and power outages, with about two-thirds saying they are extremely or very concerned.
- 79% support limiting the number of data centers that can be built in Texas, while 99% say proposed data centers should cover the cost of expanding the electric grid to provide the power they need.
- 65% say artificial intelligence will do more to hurt society than to help it. 63% say the same about AI鈥檚 impact on education, and 54% say it will do more to hurt the U.S. economy than to help it.
- Voters are split on how artificial intelligence will impact them personally, with 37% saying it will do more to hurt than help them, and 35% saying it will do more to help than hurt. 28% believe it will make no difference.
Almost eight out of 10 likely voters in Texas support limiting the number of data centers that can be built across the state, with a large majority citing concerns about the impact the massive operations have on electricity costs, water supply and the stability of the grid.
A survey of likely voters by the 91视频 Hobby School of Public Affairs found 79% say there should be limits on how many data centers can be built, with near universal support 鈥� 99% 鈥� for requiring those that are built to pay for any required electrical grid expansion.
The data centers needed to power the explosion of artificial intelligence and the digital economy have emerged as a potent campaign issue for the Nov. 3 election, and many candidates who previously were all in on landing the projects have tempered their support in the face of major voter concerns.
Ren茅e Cross, professor of practice and senior executive director of the Hobby School, said voters expect data centers to bring some benefits, including technological advances and improved infrastructure for the regions in which they are built.
鈥淵et we also found that many voters are skeptical that the centers will have a positive impact on tax revenue and job creation, with 40% saying they will not be beneficial for job creation and 33% predicting a beneficial impact on jobs,鈥� Cross said.
鈥淧ublic officials who supported the buildout of data centers have touted the benefits for jobs, tax revenues and the overall economy, but the majority of Texas voters clearly disagree.鈥�
鈥擱en茅e Cross, senior executive director of the Hobby School
Researchers found a similar split on whether the facilities will boost tax revenues, with 33% saying they will and 38% saying they will not have a beneficial impact on tax revenues.
Three out of four voters, or 76%, say data centers will raise the cost of electricity in the communities in which they are built, while 61% say they will decrease the value of nearby homes.
鈥淧ublic officials who supported the buildout of data centers have touted the benefits for jobs, tax revenues and the overall economy, but the majority of Texas voters clearly disagree,鈥� Cross said.
Concern is highest about the impact on electricity prices, water supply and power outages, with about two out of three voters saying they are extremely or very concerned. Fewer than 20% said they are not very or not at all concerned. More than half, or 53%, say they are extremely or very concerned about the impact on noise and air pollution.
Mark P. Jones, political science fellow at Rice University鈥檚 Baker Institute for Public Policy and senior research fellow at the Hobby School, said the concerns were consistent across demographic and geographic lines, although young voters, along with Black and Latino voters, tended to report higher levels of concern.
鈥淭he major split we saw was along partisan lines, with 93% of Democrats and 70% of independent voters saying they are very or extremely concerned about the impact on electricity prices,鈥� he said. 鈥淎mong Republicans, 51% reported those high levels of concern.鈥�
And while 54% overall thought that artificial intelligence will hurt the economy over the next decade, compared with 37% who think it will help, that varied widely by partisanship, Jones said. Among Democrats, 81% think it will hurt the economy, and 13% think it will help, while 32% of Republicans think it will hurt the economy and 57% think it will help. Independent voters fell in the middle, with 56% saying AI will hurt the economy and 34% saying it will help.
Among other highlights:
- 65% of voters believe that over the next 10 years AI will do more to hurt society as a whole, while 29% believe it will do more to help society. 6% believe it will not make a difference.
- 54% say AI will hurt the economy over the next decade, while 37% say it will help and 9% say it will make no difference.
- Voters are split about how AI will affect their lives, with 37% saying it will hurt them personally, 35% saying it will help and 28% saying it will make no difference.
- Although data centers are broadly unpopular, attitudes are more nuanced about the impact they will have on local communities. 45% believe they will have an extremely or very beneficial impact on technological advancement in the communities in which they are built, while 32% predict a somewhat beneficial impact and 23% a not very or no beneficial impact.
- 40% believe data centers will have an extremely or very beneficial impact on electrical infrastructure in the communities in which they are built, while 26% say they will have a somewhat beneficial impact and 34% say there will be very little or no impact.
- 76% believe construction of a new data center in their community will increase what they pay for electricity, while 7% believe it will decrease the cost and 17% say it would have no impact.
- 61% say home values will drop after construction of a new data center in their community, while 20% say they will increase and 19% say it will have no impact on home values.
The full report is available on the Hobby School website. The survey was fielded between Oct. 10-14 and included 2,000 Texas likely voters. The margin of error is +/-2.19%.
A future report will consider the possibility of a National Hockey League team and hockey arena in Harris County. Previous reports covered Harris County elections, statewide elections, the race for Texas Congressional District 9 and political attitudes of rural and Latino voters.