Survey: Americans Prefer Nuclear Plants Over AI Data Centers as Neighbors

Nuclear power has long contended with public skepticism rooted in high-profile accidents and waste disposal concerns, making broad community acceptance rare. AI data centers, by contrast, are a newer source of local opposition, with residents in several states raising objections over heavy water consumption, electrical infrastructure demands, and noise from cooling systems. The rapid buildout of data center capacity to support artificial intelligence workloads has intensified siting debates across the country, even as federal and state officials promote both nuclear and data infrastructure as economic and national security priorities. The survey result adds a public-opinion dimension to those ongoing policy and land-use discussions.