Tips for Talking About Data Centers

In a time of deep polarization, it’s almost refreshing to encounter a divisive issue that defies some of the more common political fault lines. Data center development appears to be one of those issues. A September 2026 report from Pew finds that 60% of Americans express some level of discomfort with the idea of a data center being constructed in their community, including more than half of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats. 

It’s not a partisan divide, for once.

Whether and to what extent communities should approve the construction of data centers remains contentious. This is due, in part, to the many intersecting values and experiences that shape individual perspectives, like your comfort with technology, concerns about the environment, or economic hopes.

Tensions among these values and concerns often underpin public discourse, implied without being stated. Sometimes individuals will not be fully aware of the specific mix of values and concerns that drive their own views.

Unspoken stakes? Implied values? Unclear motivations? These are the classic ingredients for a dysfunctional conversation. It blows up at public meetings, in social media groups, and on neighborhood text threads.

Drawing on four decades of experience and a proven approach to healthier public discourse, the recommendations below are intended to help residents have healthier discussions about a new data center that has been proposed in their community. (Although they might be helpful for more general conversations, too.) 

These tips can help people better understand the perspectives, hopes, and concerns of one another and themselves regarding a proposed data center.

• Reflect on the experiences behind your view. One of the best ways to avoid the trap of polarization is by reflecting on the experiences that shaped your perspective. Try writing down names, situations, or whole stories.
• Make a list of the values that come to mind when you think about your experiences and views. These could be things like environmentalism, justice, economic prosperity, privacy, or innovation. There are likely many values at play, some more strongly than others. Write them down.
• Identify your own inner tensions. You may feel torn between values. Your concerns about the environment might conflict with a hope for economic growth. You may value technological innovation but feel nervous about privacy. Notice and reflect on the places you feel unsure or pulled in different directions.
• Lean into curiosity. Once you’ve firmly grounded yourself in your experiences, values, and tensions, you are well prepared to have a healthier conversation with people who disagree, or, maybe, people who agree with you but have different concerns rooted in different values and experiences. When in doubt, get curious about the person—not just the argument, the person themselves. Ask about the experiences behind their view, what feels most important to them, and any points of internal tension.

Pro tip: keep a question in your pocket. Questions are powerful. Certain kinds of questions invite certain ways of responding. Asking a gotcha question will make the other person feel cornered, inviting direct conflict. On the other hand, asking a genuinely curious question invites a person to remain present and grounded in relationship with you, opening up the conversation to authentic mutual understanding. Here are a few examples of genuinely curious questions that you might ask someone:

• How have your life experiences shaped your perspective on the development of a new data center in this community?
• What values or commitments are at the heart of your hopes or concerns around this issue? 
• When you think about a data center being developed in your community, what feels most at risk if development moves forward? What feels at risk if it doesn’t?
• What is one thing you want people to keep in mind when considering the development of a new data center in your community?

Each of these acknowledges the humanity and individuality of the person you’re talking to. It reminds them that you, too, are an individual, not an avatar for some opposing view.