A Washington Post-Schar School poll of 1,101 registered Virginia voters found that comfort with new data center construction in their community dropped from 69% in 2023 to 35% today — approaching the 33% comfort level Americans express toward nuclear power plants. Support for tax breaks creating at least 1,000 jobs fell from 61% to 37%. Two-thirds of voters want to end the state's sales-tax exemption for data centers that meet investment thresholds.
The collapse spans the political spectrum. Democratic comfort with nearby data centers plunged 44 percentage points since 2023. Even in Loudoun County — where data center tax revenue has helped cut property taxes 30% over the past decade — 51% of voters say the facilities are making their tax bills worse. Nationally, at least 48 data center projects were blocked or delayed in 2025, scuttling $156 billion in planned development, according to Data Center Watch by 10a Labs. The number of grassroots opposition groups has doubled to nearly 400 nationwide, with Virginia home to 57 — more than any other state.