- Podcasts
Podcasts - Videos
Videos - Policy Issues
Policy Issues - About
About
Data Centers Won't Drive Voting in November
The head of the Marquette Law School Poll is using a bit of caution after the most recent poll shows most people in Wisconsin don’t like data centers.
The new poll, which was released last week, shows that 78% of voters believe the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits. That’s up from 55% just last fall.
Poll Director Charles Franklin said that is a huge, and rapid swing.
“The opinion on this has changed more than any other issue we’ve asked about in 15-years of Marquette Polls,” Franklin said during a weekend appearance on UpFront. “Going from just 55% saying the costs outweigh the benefits, to 78% now. And it’s bi-partisan. Almost two-thirds of Republicans say the costs outweigh the benefits. That goes up to 90% of Democrats and 80% with independents.”
The poll also showed that 67% of voters in Wisconsin support a one-year ban on data centers. Just 33% oppose a ban.
But Franklin said, while there is plenty of opposition to data centers, data centers are not the issue that will drive voters in November.
“[While] there is real, strong opposition on data centers. But when we asked “What is most important,” only 5% [of voters] said data centers are the most important [issue].”
Franklin said affordability is the single most important issue to most Wisconsin voters.
43% of voters in the latest Marquette Poll said inflation and the cost of living is their most important issue in the November election. It's also the second most important issue for 19% of people in the poll.
"You're seeing a lot of emphasis on [data centers] in the early days of the campaign, but it pales by comparison to those economic issues," Franklin added.
Interested in the content of this Article?
Reach out to the MacIver Institute to aquire more information
