Data centers have quickly become one of Washington’s top-debated issues. This fall, residents on both sides of the Cascades have rallied for a statewide moratorium on new data centers and Seattle has paused new data center construction for a year. In Olympia, a bill to keep data centers from shifting energy costs onto other customers passed the House this spring but stalled in the Senate. The state’s Data Center Workgroup, which released preliminary recommendations last December, is expected to deliver its final report ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
DHM’s September 2026 Washington Pulse Survey shows how quickly public opinion has moved. Washingtonians remain as divided on AI as they were when we last asked in November 2025. But on data centers, the facilities that power AI, a clear majority now oppose them.
Residents remain split on perceptions of AI, but not on data centers
In November 2025, 45% of Washingtonians said AI was having a positive impact on society, and 50% said negative. This September, when asked for their overall impression of AI, residents were split almost the same way (46% positive vs. 52% negative). Impressions of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini lean slightly more positive (51% positive vs. 46% negative), and about six in ten (61%) use AI for personal tasks like searching, planning, or shopping (see toplines for data).
Data centers, however, are another story. Only 29% have a positive impression of data centers, and 63% feel negatively about them. In other words, Washingtonians are divided on the technology but more unified in their skepticism of the facilities required to run it.
Support for data centers dropped 20 points within a year
Only 35% of Washingtonians now support the development of data centers in the state, down from 55% in November 2025. Opposition nearly doubled (32% to 59%), and strong opposition more than doubled (15% to 36%).
Opposition is even higher when a data center might be built close to home. Two-thirds (66%) would oppose building one in their local area, with half (50%) strongly opposing. Just last year, residents were more evenly split on this question (46% support vs. 43% oppose).
Support fell across most demographic groups, especially where data centers are located and among Democrats and Independents
Support dropped in every region of the state, but the steepest decline came in Central/Eastern Washington, where most of the state’s data centers are located. In 2025, it was the most supportive region (66% supported development statewide, and 62% in their local area). In 2026, 40% support development statewide, and 31% would support a data center in their local area. King County residents are now the most supportive (49%), while about a quarter of Puget Sound (26%) and Western Washington (23%) residents support data center development.
Republicans are the only group where a majority still supports data center development (63%, compared with 72% in November). Support among Democrats fell by half (50% to 24%), and it fell nearly as much among Independents and those aligned with other parties (45% to 23%). Younger residents shifted too: support among those ages 18–29 dropped from 53% to 29%.
Two in three want data centers to pay more for utilities
The question where Washingtonians continue to agree most is who should pay for the energy that data centers use. Two-thirds (67%) say data centers should be charged more for utilities than households and other businesses, up from 54% in November. Only 5% say data centers should be charged less. Charging data centers more is the majority view among Democrats (76%), Independents and others (68%), and Republicans (52%), as well as in every region of the state.
Data center concerns cross state lines; views on AI don’t
On data centers, Washington isn’t alone. Opposition to data centers is widespread along the West Coast and is growing nationally. In DHM’s July survey of Oregon voters, two-thirds (66%) supported a temporary halt on new AI data center construction. In California, recent polling found that about half of registered voters (51%) oppose building new data centers, and 61% oppose one in their own community. As in Washington, Republicans there are far more supportive than Democrats. National polling shows opposition to a new data center near where people live has risen from 42% to 75% over the past year.
Where Washington stands apart is how people view AI itself. When DHM asked Oregon voters the same questions in July, clear majorities had a negative impression of AI (61%) and AI chatbots (60%). Washington’s more mixed views may reflect its strong ties to the tech industry, led by companies like Microsoft and Amazon.
Written by: Hannah Borenstein
About the Survey
This survey was conducted by DHM Research from September 14 – 21, 2026 among 500 Washington residents. Margin of error: +/-4.4%. DHM Research is a nonpartisan, independent opinion research firm specializing in research to support public policy making.