Wisconsinites remain opposed to expansion of data centers. That’s according to recent Marquette Law School polling. “What we’re finding here in Wisconsin in the March poll was 69% thought the costs of data centers outweighed their benefits.” Poll Director Charles Franklin said in an interview with WRN. Seventy percent of respondents to the poll also say the proliferation of AI is bad for society, and even those who regularly use AI at work say it’s a bad thing.
Franklin said polling last year showed an even split in respondents who thought data centers were worth the cost. “But by February, that had jumped up to this 70-30 split that we saw again in March. And we saw opposition rising among Republicans and independents.”
The polling results reflect the growing opposition to large scale AI data center developments in communities around Wisconsin.