Texas Voters Cite Economy, Costs, and Data Centers as Key Issues

A new University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll finds Texans remain concerned about the economy and cost of living, while opposition to new data centers remains high.

Food and consumer prices, health care, energy costs, and housing are among the biggest economic concerns reported by voters.

Cost of living remains a major concern.

Economic concerns continue to shape Texans' views of the state's most important problems.

Nearly 29% of voters identified inflation, higher prices, or the economy as the most important issues facing Texas. At the national level, that figure rises to 35%.

Concern crosses party lines, with 29% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans identifying prices or the economy as Texas' most important problem.

Only 24% of Texans said the national economy is better than it was a year ago, 54% said it is worse, and 19% said it is about the same. Views of personal finances were somewhat less negative, but 42% still said they and their families were worse off financially than a year ago.

Food and health care costs top concerns.

Majorities of Texas said they were very concerned about several everyday expenses:

• Food and consumer goods: 67%
• Health care: 64%
• Gasoline and energy: 59%
• Housing: 55%

The results highlight the continued importance of affordability issues for Texas voters.

Opposition to data centers remains high.

For the second consecutive survey, a majority of Texans said they oppose building a data center in their community.

57% opposed the construction of local data centers, compared with 30% who supported it and 14% who had no opinion.

Opposition was particularly strong among Democrats, rural voters, and suburban voters. Among rural Texans, 60% opposed local data centers, while 60% of suburban voters also expressed opposition.

Republicans were more divided, with 45% supporting and 43% opposing construction.

The Bottom Line

The new polling from the UT/Texas Politics Project poll shows that economic pressures and data center development remain significant concerns for Texas voters and gives insights into what the 2026 midterm election results may be.