Gallup: How people feel about AI and Data Centers
OMG, what a bunch of sissies! Put on your big boy pants and embrace this shit.
No, I don't fear the Reaper!
Sept. 29, 2026
Welcome to Front Page, Gallup's indispensable intelligence distilled into five charts that give leaders the insights they need to make their most important decisions.
1. Record-High Technology-Related Job Fears
Line chart: U.S. workers' concern about tech displacement.
The Data: A record-high 27% of U.S. workers worry that technology could make their jobs obsolete in the near future.
More Context: Concern has jumped seven percentage points since 2025, one of the largest increases Gallup has recorded between survey waves. The 27% who are worried is more than double the 13% measured in 2017.
2. Concern About Tech Displacement Grows, Degree or Not
Line chart: Workers' concern about tech displacement, by education.
The Data: Worry about technology making jobs obsolete has risen over the past year among U.S. workers with (25%) and without (29%) a college degree.
The Trend: The education gap on this measure has been slim since 2023. Concern about technological displacement among college graduates jumped from 8% in 2021 to 20% in 2023 and has increased again this year, leaving just a four-point gap between the two groups.
3. 71% Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area
Stacked bar chart: Opinions on local construction of data centers, all Americans and by political party.
The Data: Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose data center construction in their area to support AI technology, including 48% who strongly oppose it.
Party Differences: Opposition is broad across party groups, but strongest among Democrats and independents. Three-quarters of Democrats (75%) oppose data center construction in their area. Among independents, 74% are opposed. Republicans are less opposed overall, though nearly two-thirds (63%) still oppose local construction.
4. Why Americans Oppose Data Centers
Bar chart: Reasons Americans oppose data centers in their local area.
The Data: Half of respondents list resource-based reasons for opposing AI data center construction in their local area, including excess water usage, energy consumption and loss of farmland. Many also cite concerns related to quality of life — such as community impact, increased construction and traffic, and health concerns — as well as cost effects like higher utilities and cost-of-living increases.
The Positives: When respondents were asked why they would favor constructing a data center in their area, the top reasons cited included local economic benefits, technological and innovation benefits, and personal benefits from using AI.
5. Which Industries Lead in Daily AI Use?
Multiple line charts: Trends in AI workplace use, by industry.
The Data: Daily AI use is highest among employees in technology (42%), finance (27%) and professional services (22%). It is lowest in K-12 education (9%), community and social services (10%), and manufacturing (11%).
The Trend: When Gallup first measured industry-level AI use in Q2 2023, no industry exceeded 10% daily use, with retail being the highest at 8%. Since then, daily use has risen in every sector. Between Q1 and Q2 of this year alone, daily AI use in the technology and finance industries increased by more than five points.;
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