Purpose of the Study: You are invited to participate in a research study examining community perceptions of data centers located in local communities. Your participation in this study is voluntary. The purpose of this research is to develop and validate a survey instrument designed to measure how residents perceive the impacts of data centers located near their communities.
A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and related infrastructure such as servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and power and cooling systems used to store, process, and distribute large amounts of digital data and applications. Data centers supporting cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure have expanded rapidly in many areas across the United States. These developments can raise questions about environmental impacts, infrastructure demands, economic benefits, and community acceptance.
This study seeks to better understand these perceptions by collecting anonymous survey responses from residents.
Procedures: If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete an online survey. The survey will include questions about:
• your perceptions of the environmental impacts of data centers
• perceptions of infrastructure impacts
• perceptions of economic benefits
• trust in government and developers
• overall attitudes toward data center development
• general demographic information
Eligibility: You may participate in this study if:
• you are 18 years of age or older, and
• you live in a community with an existing, proposed data center, or approved data center development
Time Commitment: The survey will take approximately 8–12 minutes to complete.
You may skip any question you prefer not to answer.
Risks: This study involves minimal risk. Some participants may experience mild discomfort when answering questions about local development issues. However, participants may skip any questions they prefer not to answer. No sensitive personal information will be collected.
Confidentiality: Your responses will be anonymous. No personally identifying information will be collected. Survey responses will be stored on secure password-protected systems accessible only to the principal investigator. Research results will be reported only in aggregated form, and no individual participant will be identifiable in any publication or presentation. Survey data will be securely stored for 5 years after the study's completion. After that time, the data will be permanently deleted.
Voluntary Participation: Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Refusing or withdrawing will not affect you in any way. Questions? Contact the PI or IRB above.