Utah survey finds strong opposition to data centers

Utah State University has released the first executive summary from a statewide survey project examining Utah residents’ views on data centers.

• The August 2026 survey of nearly 900 Utah residents found 75.8% oppose or strongly oppose building new or additional data centers in Utah; 60.7% strongly opposed the Stratos data center in Box Elder.
• The research team led by Gina Gilson, Stacia Ryder, and Jessica Schad will study data centers’ water and energy demands, review public documents and media coverage, interview stakeholders, and conduct a follow-up survey in 2027.