Poll: 99% of Texas voters say data centers should fund grid expansion

Who's involved

• Renée Cross · Senior executive director of Hobby School at University of Houston and professor of practice^[1]

The facts

1. A University of Houston survey of 2,000 likely Texas voters from Oct. 10 to Oct. 14, 2026 found that 99% supported a requirement for data centers to pay for their own grid expansions. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.19 percentage points.^[1]
2. Seventy-nine percent of respondents in the University of Houston survey supported a cap on data center construction in the state.^[1]
3. More than 80% of survey respondents expressed concern about data centers' effects on utility prices and outages.^[1]
4. Seventy-six percent of respondents believed a new data center would increase electricity costs in their community, and 61% expected nearby home values to decline.^[1]
5. Forty percent of respondents said data centers would not create jobs, and 38% anticipated no beneficial impact on tax revenues.^[1]
6. Ninety-three percent of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 51% of Republicans reported being very or extremely concerned about electricity prices.^[1]
7. Sixty-five percent of respondents believed AI would do more harm than good to society.^[1]
8. Many political candidates have cooled on attracting data centers as the facilities have become an issue in the Nov. 3, 2026 election.^[1]

Who said what

• Renée Cross, senior executive director of the Hobby School at University of Houston Public officials who supported the buildout of data centers have touted the benefits for jobs, tax revenues and the overall economy, but the majority of Texas voters clearly disagree.^[1]