New Jersey voters are evenly divided over data center development nationally, but opposition grows considerably when proposed facilities move closer to home, according to the latest poll from the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.

Voters are evenly split on the construction of data centers in the United States, with 40% in support and 40% opposed. When asked about data center development in New Jersey, opposition rises to 52% compared with 29% support, and when it comes to construction in their own town, nearly two-thirds (65%) oppose development while just 18% support it.

A Deeper Dive

One in five New Jersey voters (19%) support data center developments nationally but oppose one in their own town. That accounts for nearly half of all voters who support them nationally.

“Not-in-my-backyard sentiment is real, but it isn’t the whole story,” said Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center for Public Policy. “Twice as many voters oppose data centers at any proximity, so there is a broader ideological pushback at play.”

Firm views lean toward opposition. Thirty-nine percent of voters oppose data centers at the national, state and local level, while just 17% support them at all levels.

Voters who report knowing more about data centers are also more likely to oppose local development. Among those who say they know at least a fair amount, 73% oppose a data center in their town, compared with 55% of those who say they know little to nothing.

About 1 in 5 voters say a data center has been built or proposed in or near their town. Among this group, 68% strongly oppose a data center in their own town, compared with 52% of those who report no nearby development. Also, among this group, 68% say data centers harm communities, compared with 48% of those who report none nearby.

“Towns facing proposals are likely to have more organized opposition or local news coverage,” Maurice said. “Once these projects move from an abstract policy debate to something happening in their own community, concerns about costs and quality of life become much more concrete.”

Republicans are the most supportive group, but even they are more likely to oppose a data center in their town (44%) than to support one (36%). Among Democrats, 72% oppose a local data center. Democrats are also more than twice as likely as Republicans to say data centers harm communities (56% vs. 24%).

Women are more likely than men to oppose data centers at every level (43% vs. 32%). Men are about twice as likely to support them at every level (24% vs. 11%).

Costs and Benefits

Nearly half of voters (47%) believe data centers harm the communities where they are located, compared with just 10% who believe they benefit their communities. Another 18% say they have little impact either way, and 24% are unsure. These findings are largely unchanged from an earlier April 2026 Stockton Poll.

Among consistent supporters, as in those who back data centers at every level, a plurality (42%) say they have little impact either way on host communities.

Asked to identify their biggest concerns about data centers, voters most frequently selected higher electricity bills (45%) and effects on the water supply (43%). Other concerns included artificial intelligence (24%), a lack of transparency (22%) and insufficient government oversight (22%). Respondents could select up to three concerns.

Voters were also asked to identify any upsides. The most commonly cited benefits were good-paying jobs (33%), increased property tax revenue for the town (29%) and helping New Jersey compete in the technology economy (27%). However, 1 in 5 (20%) say data centers bring no benefits at all.

Voters place little trust in the stakeholders shaping data center development to look out for their best interests. Around two-thirds say they have little to no trust in utility companies (67%) or technology companies (64%).

Trust in government officials is somewhat higher, though still limited. Half of voters express little to no trust in local officials and a plurality of 48% say the same about Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

The poll of 667 registered voters was sponsored and conducted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, and it has a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.

For full poll results. 

Methodology

The poll of New Jersey voters was sponsored and conducted by the Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. Data collection took place from Oct. 13-19, 2026, using a N.J. voter list sample. A total of 667 New Jersey registered voters were interviewed. Responses were recorded via telephone or online in English. Overall, 96% of interviews were conducted on cell phones and 4% on landline phones. In terms of mode, 75% were reached via dialing with the survey administered by a live interviewer and 25% were reached via text-to-web. The live calls were conducted by Opinion Services. The text messages were sent by Stockton Polling Institute staff from the university’s Galloway campus and included a single-use link to take the survey online. The data were weighted to balance the sample demographics using iterative proportional fitting. Weights were based on the voting eligible population in New Jersey on variables of age, race/ethnicity, education level, region and sex. Weights were trimmed to prevent any single respondent from having an outsized influence on the results. The poll's margin of error is +/- 3.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error is higher for subsets. Sampling error does not account for other potential sources of bias in polls such as measurement error or non-response. The poll has a design effect of 1.3. The design effect reflects the increase in sampling variance introduced by weighting adjustments.

About the Hughes Center

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey, and promotes civic life through engagement, education and research. The nonpartisan center is named for the late William J. Hughes, whose distinguished career includes service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ambassador to Panama, and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Stockton. The Hughes Center can be followed on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X, with recorded events available on YouTube.