Two-Thirds of N.J. Voters Oppose Data Centers in Their Own Towns, Stockton Poll Finds

New Jersey registered voters oppose building data centers in their own towns by a margin of 65% to 18%, according to a Stockton University poll released this week. Statewide opposition reaches 52%, compared with 29% support. Nationally, opinion divides evenly: 40% back data center construction and 40% oppose it.

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University conducted the survey of 667 registered voters from Oct. 13 to Oct. 19, 2026. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

One in five voters nationally support data centers but oppose one near home. That group makes up nearly half of all voters who support such projects at the national level. Alyssa Maurice, assistant director of the Hughes Center, said the pattern runs deeper than location. "Not-in-my-backyard sentiment is real, but it isn't the whole story," Maurice said. "Twice as many voters oppose data centers at any proximity, so there is a broader ideological pushback at play."

Thirty-nine percent of respondents oppose data centers at every level, national, state and local. Seventeen percent support them at all three. Voters who report knowing at least a fair amount about data centers oppose local projects at a higher rate: 73% versus 55% among those who know little or nothing about them.

About one in five voters say a data center has been built or proposed in or near their town. Within that group, 68% strongly oppose a local project, against 52% among voters with no nearby proposal. The same 68% say data centers harm communities, compared with 48% of voters without nearby developments. "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," Maurice said.

Among Republicans, 44% oppose a local data center and 36% support one. Among Democrats, 72% oppose local projects. Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to say data centers harm communities: 56% to 24%. Women oppose data centers at every level at a higher rate than men, 43% to 32%. Men support them at every level at more than double the rate of women, 24% to 11%.

Forty-seven percent of voters say data centers harm the communities where they are located. Ten percent say they benefit those communities, 18% say the impact is minimal either way and 24% are unsure. These figures match an April 2026 Stockton poll. Among voters who consistently support data centers at all levels, 42% say the projects have little impact on host communities.

Voters cited higher electricity bills, at 45%, and effects on the water supply, at 43%, as their leading concerns. Artificial intelligence came in at 24%, while lack of transparency and insufficient government oversight each drew 22%. On benefits, 33% pointed to good-paying jobs, 29% to increased property tax revenue for their town and 27% to helping New Jersey compete in the technology economy. Twenty percent said data centers bring no benefits.

Trust in the parties shaping these projects runs low. Sixty-seven percent of voters express little or no trust in utility companies, and 64% say the same about technology companies. Half have little or no trust in local officials, and 48% say that about Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Interviews were conducted by telephone and online in English; 96% of respondents were reached on cell phones.

The Stockton Polling Institute, part of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, sponsored and conducted the survey. Data collection used a New Jersey voter list sample, with 75% of interviews administered by live callers from Opinion Services and 25% delivered through text-to-web links sent by Stockton Polling Institute staff at the university's Galloway campus. The data were weighted to the voting eligible population in New Jersey by age, race and ethnicity, education level, region and sex. The design effect was 1.3.