El Paso Data Center Poll

Public Sentiment Research — Findings Dashboard

Date: June 20, 2026

Location: Plaza Theater

Event: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Responses: 46 (primary collection)

Opposition

70%

Oppose data centers

Process

61%

Disapprove deal process

City Hall Trust

4.0

Average (1–10 scale)

AI Adoption

37%

Use AI at work

Data Center Opinion

Opposed 70%

In favor 20%

Unsure 10%

Deal Process Approval

Disapprove 61%

Not sure 30%

Approve 9%

City Hall Trust (1–10 Scale)

1 (22)

5 (15)

7–10 (16)

Bimodal distribution: 48% score 1/10 (very low trust); 35% score 7–10 (moderate-to-high trust). Median: 5, Mean: 4.0

Response Timing Within Hour (7–8 PM)

First 15 min

67% opposed

21 responses

Middle 30 min

72% opposed

25 responses

Stable sentiment: Opposition remained consistent throughout the hour. No early vs. late variation suggests steady, not reactive, opinion.

Data Center Opinion by AI Adoption

AI Users (n=17, 37%)

Opposed: 47%

In favor: 35%

Unsure: 18%

More open to data centers; higher information access.

Non-AI Users (n=29, 63%)

Opposed: 83%

In favor: 10%

Unsure: 7%

Decisively opposed; 5.7× higher opposition rate.

Pro-Data Center 9 (20%)

Approve deals: 33%

AI users: 67%

Avg trust: 5.2/10

Tech-forward, higher trust, sees economic upside.

Opposed 32 (70%)

Disapprove deals: 81%

AI users: 25%

Avg trust: 3.3/10

Low trust in process; coherent skepticism about governance.

Unsure 5 (11%)

AI users: 60%

Avg trust: 6.2/10

Response: Informed

Informed but uncertain; moveable with transparency.

Key Finding: The opposition is not soft or reactive—it's coherent, trust-driven, and stable. 81% of those who oppose data centers also disapprove the deal process. This is not ideological rejection; it's governance skepticism rooted in low trust and perceived lack of transparency. The "unsure" and "pro" segments both skew toward AI adoption and higher trust, suggesting that information access and institutional credibility are the levers for shifting opinion.

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