CEPM Releases National Energy Literacy Survey Results

Just one in three Americans are confident they can explain how data centers impact the nation’s energy demand, a recent survey conducted by the Center for Energy Policy and Management at Washington & Jefferson College found. The results are detailed in a new report available at wjenergy.org/resources.

The national energy literacy survey was distributed randomly to 1,263 people across the country, and its results have a 3% margin of error. Overall, about four in 10 Americans identified themselves as confident or very confident in explaining key energy concepts, from traditional topics such as electricity generation and fuel prices to emerging ones like decarbonization and data centers.

While data centers are springing up around the country due to rapid advances in artificial intelligence and cloud storage, 35% of those surveyed were not confident they could explain what a data center was and how it affects energy demand. Another 31% of respondents were only “somewhat comfortable” that they could explain the topic. Just 34% of respondents were very confident or confident they could discuss data centers.

“People experience energy every day, but they don’t always feel equipped to explain what’s happening behind the scenes,” said Dr. Corey Young, Director of the Center for Energy Policy and Management. “That gap matters because it shapes how communities engage with major infrastructure decisions, from renewable projects to data centers.”

Data centers require massive amounts of 24/7 energy to power thousands of computing units that handle AI and cloud storage tasks, and any loss of power means a temporary loss of information for end users. The Trump administration has declared that the U.S. is in a race for AI supremecy, and tech companies are scrambling to find locations with readily available power sources where they can build data centers.

The survey also revealed some other surprising results, including that 45% of respondent were not confident they could explain what decarbonization of energy sources means. Asked if they could explain the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy, almost 24% of respondents were not confident, and another 38% were only somewhat confident.

The survey results indicate a “confidence gap” in energy knowledge, the center’s report found. A number of policy and education recommendations were made to help close that gap so that Americans can understand these topics more fully. To read the report and the full survey results, visit wjenergy.org /resources.