Poll: Wisconsin opposition to data centers continues to grow

(The Center Square) – Data centers continue to become less popular in Wisconsin.

A new Marquette Poll shows that 78% of registered voters believe the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits, up from 76% in a July poll and 55% in October 2025.

“Majorities of Republicans, independents, and Democrats all say the costs outweigh the benefits of data centers. Opposition has increased among independents and Democrats since July, with only a slight decline in opposition among Republicans,” the poll said.

The survey was conducted Aug. 12-20, interviewing 891 Wisconsin registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

Registered voters also supported a one-year ban on data center construction with 67% in favor and 33% opposed.

Democrats registered highest on the one-year ban, with 83% in support while 53% of Republicans supporting the move.

Opposition to data centers in Wisconsin matches national opinions with 68% believing that communities should be able to limit data centers if they strain local resources while 22% believe that communities should accept those trade-offs for the benefits of economic growth and the country’s technology future in a recently released The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll.

Those results came from a survey conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Aug. 12-16.