Environmental Polling Roundup – April 3, 2026
Headlines
Quinnipiac – Majorities of Americans across party lines oppose data center construction in their communities [Website, Release + Crosstabs]
Third Way – Voters continue to blame high utility prices more on utility companies and large energy users like data centers than on specific energy sources [Website]
POLITICO – Less than half of self-described “MAHA” followers say that Trump has done enough to make America healthy again [Article with link to crosstabs]
The Economist + YouGov – A steady majority of Americans say that the climate is changing as a result of human activity, and only 14% say that the country should decrease spending on the environment [Topline, Crosstabs]
Key Takeaways
Americans are turning against data centers (and AI in general). Quinnipiac finds that only around one-third of Americans (35%) are feeling “excited” about AI, while the overwhelming majority (80%) say that they’re concerned about it. Further, majorities across party lines say that the government isn’t doing enough to regulate the technology.
Given public pessimism about AI, it’s not surprising that Quinnipiac also finds that most Americans–including majorities of every political affiliation–say that they would oppose an AI data center in their community. Among those who oppose data centers, majorities say that electricity costs and water use are both reasons for their opposition.
For groups that are working to stop or regulate data centers, this undercurrent of AI anxiety is an important and potentially useful trend. Beyond particular concerns about data centers’ electricity and water usage, many Americans are skeptical about whether the country should be accelerating the AI industry in the first place–especially without stronger federal safeguards to regulate it.
One concrete way that advocates can leverage these concerns is by labeling data centers as “AI data centers”: recent polling by Groundwork Collaborative and Data for Progress found that voters feel more negatively about “AI data centers” than they do about “data centers” more generally.
The “MAHA” movement is feeling disappointed. POLITICO finds that around three in ten Americans identify themselves with the MAHA movement, including half of Trump voters. And this segment has mixed views about whether Trump is delivering for the movement, with less than half of self-identified MAHA followers saying that Trump has “done enough to make America healthy again.”
The poll also shows how the Republican Party’s perceived closeness to corporate special interests is an obstacle for its credibility on health issues. Americans are slightly more likely to say that the Democratic Party can be trusted on public health issues than the Republican Party. Meanwhile, Americans view the Republican Party as more likely to be influenced by the pharmaceutical, food, and pesticide industries.
Good Data Points to Highlight
[Climate Change] 59% of Americans recognize that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity, while 22% believe that the world’s climate is changing for other reasons and only 5% deny that the climate is changing [The Economist + YouGov]
[Environment + Federal Budget] 54% of Americans say that the federal government should increase what it spends on the environment, while only 14% believe that it should decrease environmental spending [The Economist + YouGov]
Full Roundup
Quinnipiac – Majorities of Americans across party lines oppose data center construction in their communities [Website, Release + Crosstabs]
Americans widely agree that the government needs to regulate AI more. Americans are generally feeling skeptical about AI: only around one-third (35%) say that they’re excited about the technology, while four in five (80%) are concerned about it. Additionally, most Americans believe that AI will do more harm than good in their own day-to-day lives (34% more good / 55% more harm).
Amid this pessimism, Americans widely agree that the technology needs to be more regulated. Nearly three-quarters (74%) say that the government isn’t doing enough to regulate the use of AI, including majorities of Democrats (88%), independents (80%), and Republicans (59%).
Americans across party lines oppose data center construction in their communities. Polling long showed that Americans were still making up their minds about data centers. And as recently as January, POLITICO found that Americans were more likely to say that they would support than oppose a data center in their own community.
Now, however, the tide appears to have shifted quickly against the data center boom. Quinnipiac finds that nearly two-thirds would oppose the construction of an AI data center in their community (24% support / 65% oppose), with majority opposition among Democrats (16% support / 78% oppose), independents (25% support / 66% oppose), and Republicans (34% support / 56% oppose).
The fact that Quinnipiac asked about “AI data centers” (whereas the previous POLITICO poll asked about “data centers” without mentioning AI) likely boosted resistance to the idea, given how skeptical Americans are feeling about AI. Recent polling by the Groundwork Collaborative and Data for Progress found that voters feel more negatively about “AI data centers” than about “data centers” more generally.
Electricity costs continue to rank as Americans’ top concern about data centers, and most also express concern about data centers’ water usage. Among the 65% of Americans who say that they would oppose a data center in their community, 72% say that electricity costs are a reason for their opposition and 64% say that water use is one of their reasons. Noise ranks as a relatively lower concern, with 41% of those who oppose data centers citing it as a factor.
Third Way – Voters continue to blame high utility prices more on utility companies and large energy users like data centers than on specific energy sources [Website]
Less than one-third of voters say that they could comfortably handle further increases in their utility bills. While many polls have shown that voters are feeling stressed by high utility bills, Third Way’s question framing in a new poll underlines how precarious voters feel about their finances.
Roughly one-quarter (24%) say that they need to see their monthly utility bills go down immediately to make ends meet. An additional 43% say that they can manage their utility bills now, but will struggle to pay them if they go up any higher. Meanwhile, less than one-third (30%) say that they can pay their utility bill without problem and could continue to do so “even if it goes up a little higher.”
Voters say that inflation, utility price gouging, and large energy users are the biggest causes of high energy prices. Consistent with other polling, Third Way finds that voters see high energy prices more as a result of corporations’ actions than as an energy supply issue.
Their poll asked respondents to rate, on a scale of 1-10, how much of a role various factors have in increasing their energy costs. Voters’ average ratings show that inflation, utility price gouging, and large energy users receive the most blame while particular energy sources (whether clean or dirty) rank relatively low:
- Inflation – 7.6 average rating out of 10
- Price gouging by utility companies – 7.2
- Large energy users like data centers or industrial facilities – 7.2
- The federal government – 7.0
- Aging energy infrastructure, like outdated power lines – 6.8
- Your state government – 6.6
- Trump’s tariffs – 6.5
- Foreign conflicts – 6.5
- The federal government stopping new wind and solar energy projects across the country – 6.3
- Extreme weather or climate factors – 6.2
- Continued reliance on fossil fuels like natural gas – 6.1
- Government policies requiring the use of more renewable energy like wind and solar – 6.0
- Continued reliance on fossil fuels like coal – 5.9
The Economist + YouGov – A steady majority of Americans say that the climate is changing as a result of human activity, and only 14% say that the country should decrease spending on the environment [Topline, Crosstabs]
Americans would much rather increase than decrease spending on the environment. With Trump soon to roll out his budget request to Congress, The Economist and YouGov find that Americans prioritize spending on domestic issues like the environment and social safety net more than on national defense and immigration enforcement.
The environment ranks as one of the key priorities that an outright majority of Americans want to increase spending on (54%), while just 14% say that the federal government should decrease spending on it.
Below are the percentages who say that the government should increase, maintain, or decrease spending on different items:
- Veterans – 74% increase / 16% maintain / 3% decrease
- Social Security – 71% increase / 17% maintain / 5% decrease
- Education – 61% increase / 20% maintain / 12% decrease
- Medicare – 66% increase / 20% maintain / 7% decrease
- Medicaid – 59% increase / 23% maintain / 10% decrease
- The environment – 54% increase / 24% maintain / 14% decrease
- SNAP (food stamps) – 50% increase / 23% maintain / 21% decrease
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA) – 49% increase / 32% maintain / 8% decrease
- National defense – 39% increase / 28% maintain / 25% decrease
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – 25% increase / 21% maintain / 46% decrease
- Foreign aid – 22% increase / 25% maintain / 43% decrease
Decreasing environmental spending is unpopular across the political spectrum. Democrats (81%) are particularly unified in calling for greater environmental spending, while the majority of independents also favor more spending on the environment (52% increase / 24% maintain / 13% decrease) and even Republicans are more likely to say that funding for it should be increased than decreased (28% increased / 38% maintain / 26% decrease).
A steady majority of Americans recognize that human activities are causing climate change. Following a heat wave that brought record-high March temperatures in much of the U.S., roughly six in ten Americans (59%) agree that the world’s climate is changing as a result of human activity. Only 5% deny that the world’s climate is changing, though 22% say that it is changing for reasons other than human activity and an additional 14% say that they aren’t sure.
The 59% who say that the climate is changing as a result of human activity is identical to what The Economist and YouGov found when they last asked this question in the beginning of March.
The overwhelming majority of Americans continue to say that their gas prices are going up. More than four in five Americans (85%) say that gas prices where they live are going up, including a majority (61%) who say that gas prices are going up “a lot” in their area.
POLITICO – Less than half of self-described “MAHA” followers say that Trump has done enough to make America healthy again [Article with link to crosstabs]
More Americans support than oppose the MAHA movement, though few express strong familiarity with it. POLITICO finds that roughly half of Americans (48%) support the “Make America Healthy Again” / MAHA movement, with just 19% opposed to it. Meanwhile, 22% feel neutral and 12% don’t know enough to say.
Americans don’t have deep familiarity with the movement, as most (68%) say that they’ve heard of it but only around one-third (34%) say that they could explain what it is.
Americans widely support limiting pesticides and removing artificial dyes from foods, but are less on board with MAHA’s approach to vaccines. As we’ve seen in other research, certain aspects of the MAHA agenda enjoy broad support while others are more alienating.
In testing several MAHA-related policies, POLITICO finds that Americans widely agree on pesticides and artificial food dyes but are more divided on vaccines:
- Limiting pesticide use – 68% support / 7% oppose
- Removing artificial dyes from foods – 67% support / 8% oppose
- Restricting junk food purchases through federal nutrition programs (e.g., SNAP) – 52% support / 22% oppose
- Reducing how many vaccines Americans receive – 41% support / 29% oppose
Around three in ten Americans identify themselves with the MAHA movement, including half of Trump voters. Overall, 31% of Americans say that they consider themselves part of the MAHA movement. This includes half of Americans (50%) who report voting for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
MAHA adherents are split on whether Trump has delivered on the movement’s goals. Americans who self-identify as part of the MAHA movement are divided on whether Trump has “done enough to Make America Healthy Again” (45% done enough / 47% not done enough / 8% don’t know).
The Republican Party’s perceived closeness to corporate special interests undercuts its credibility on public health. In a series of questions asking respondents whether different descriptions better fit the Democratic Party or Republican Party, POLITICO finds that Americans trust Democrats slightly more on public health and see Republicans as more likely to be swayed by special interests representing the pharmaceutical, food, and pesticide industries.
Below are the margins by which Americans say that different descriptions better apply to the Democratic Party or Republican Party:
- Follows the science – Democrats +12
- Is most eager to improve health in America – Democrats +5
- Can be trusted to make America healthier – Democrats +4
- Would challenge big pharmaceutical companies – Democrats +4
- Has the healthiest voters – Democrats +2
- Is most eager to stop overprescription of medications – Democrats +1
- Is most worried about the ill effects of social media use – Democrats +1
- Is most eager to increase Americans’ physical activity – Republicans +1
- Would be influenced by a lobby group for the food industry – Republicans +5
- Would be influenced by the pesticide industry – Republicans +8
- Is most worried about vaccine side effects – Republicans +20
Related Resources
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