OHIO — A new poll highlights the public opinion of Ohioans and how they feel about a group of topics: solar farms, multi-family housing, the cannabis industry and artificial intelligence.
The Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University surveyed 1,638 Ohio adults from Oct. 7 through Oct. 13.
“Public opinion matters, and these results will inform policymakers throughout the state about what their constituents want and why,” said Brian King, assistant professor of political science and faculty associate at ICAPP.
The poll found overall, there was support for solar farms, multi-family housing and the cannabis industry.
As for solar farms, more than half of the respondents supported it, whereas less than a quarter opposed them.
“Solar farms appear to be broadly supported, with Ohioans generally having a favorable impression of their community impacts,” Durkin said.
Similarly, nearly 50% support multi-family housing with around 26% showing opposition. Multi-family housing includes apartments, condominiums and townhouses.
“Overall, most Ohioans see the positive economic benefits of multi-family housing, but that support begins to drop off when considering its impact on quality of life and public safety, King said. “This is especially true for those over 65, those making over $100,000 annually and conservatives.”
When it comes to dispensaries, Ohioans see them as a positive impact on the economy with 47% showing support, and a little over a quarter being opposed.
“There is overall support for cannabis dispensaries in Ohio, especially when it comes to their economic impact, but that support drops considerably when discussing other impacts of the issue like public safety,” King said. “Those over 65 have the most negative opinions of dispensaries overall, while conservatives and those making more than $100,000 annually also express negative opinions when it comes to dispensaries’ impact on public safety.”
However, the one topic that created some uncertainty is AI and data centers. Half of respondents were asked about “AI Centers” while the other half were asked about “Data Centers.”
Data centers garnered more support than AI centers.
“The clear public hesitation toward the term ‘AI,’ especially its mitigating effect on perceived economic benefits, indicates that the ‘AI Bubble’ may be beginning to burst in Ohio,” Mott said.
To view the full poll results, click here.
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