New Jersey Poll Finds Growing Opposition to AI Data Centers
A Stockton University poll found that 56% of New Jersey voters would support banning data centers, reflecting growing opposition over land use, electricity demand, water consumption and concerns about artificial intelligence. Municipalities across the state are considering restrictions, while some data center bans have faced legal challenges and federal lawmakers have proposed studying community impacts.
Opposition to data centers is emerging as a broader version of New Jersey’s longstanding resistance to warehouses and other large developments. A May 2026 poll by Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy found that 56% of voters supported a data center ban, with residents citing land use, energy and water demands as well as concerns about the societal effects of artificial intelligence.
New Jersey has roughly 80 data hubs built, under construction or in the permitting process, many concentrated in the Meadowlands. Local governments are attempting to restrict or ban facilities, including in Andover, where a ban has faced legal challenges. Members of the state’s congressional delegation introduced a bill to study data centers’ community impacts, while Gov. Mikie Sherrill has signed legislation restricting certain aspects of their electricity and water use.