Nearly three-quarters of Wisconsin voters oppose data centers
A Marquette Law School poll found that 74% of Wisconsin voters believe large data centers cost more than they benefit the state. Opposition has increased from the previous year, with particularly strong resistance among Democrats and independents.
A Marquette University Law School poll found that 74% of Wisconsin registered voters believe the costs of large data centers outweigh their benefits, up from 55% a year earlier. The survey of 843 voters was conducted Sept. 16-23, while opposition was slightly lower than the 78% recorded in the school’s prior monthly poll.
Resistance was highest among Democrats, at 90%, and independents, at 83%. Republican opposition stood at 57%, down 10 percentage points since July. The article linked the findings to growing skepticism about hyperscale data centers and artificial intelligence, while noting ongoing AI-related work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.