Industry groups court schoolchildren as a Pew poll shows about half of those surveyed see data centers as mostly bad

What happened

WIRED reported that its tally of public blogs and social media posts found at least eleven companies and industry groups have hosted student field trips to local data centers since 2025 — WIRED presents this as an industry push to win over young people amid backlash to data center build-outs. (WIRED) Claims: kat-claim-fb83f728de26
WIRED reported that a Pew Research poll conducted over the summer found about half of the 10,000 Americans surveyed see data centers as "mostly bad" for the environment and quality of life — WIRED cites the poll as the backdrop to the field trips. (WIRED) Claims: kat-claim-b03d50ec1be2
WIRED, citing boston.com, reported that Westfield, Massachusetts, killed a $3 billion data center project — listed in WIRED's weekly reading roundup; WIRED's own account is a one-line relay of the boston.com report. (WIRED) Claims: kat-claim-0524764449cb

Sources 1

WIRED wired.com high 0.852 generally reliable

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