Takeaways from the Beacon Poll

55%
In the race for governor, Senator Marsha Blackburn leads Democrat Jerri Green 55% to 34% among likely voters, a 21-point lead.
Elections
48%
For the first time in the history of the Beacon Poll, President Trump’s job approval in Tennessee has gone underwater. Just 48% of voters approve of the job he is doing, and 51% disapprove.
Elections
27%
Voters do not support the idea of Tennessee following 38 other states in offering dedicated tax incentives to attract data centers: just 27% support the idea, 61% oppose it, and it is underwater among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
AI and Tech
54%
Tennesseans broadly approve of the public having access to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, with 54% approving and 34% disapproving.
AI and Tech
53%
A majority of voters (53%) believe artificial intelligence will eliminate more jobs than it creates, including 51% of Republicans, 60% of Democrats, and 51% of Independents. Just 7% believe AI will create more jobs than it eliminates.
AI and Tech
83%
Nashville hosting the 2030 Super Bowl is one of the most unifying findings in the entire poll, with 83% of Tennesseans thinking it will be a good thing for Nashville and the state, while just 11% think it will be bad.
Culture

Political Polling Results: Tennessee

In the race for Tennessee governor, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn leads Democrat Jerri Green 55% to 34% among likely voters, a 21-point lead.

POLITICS

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Bill Hagerty leads Democrat Marquita Bradshaw by 25 points (58%-33%) among likely voters.

POLITICS

In a Beacon Poll first, President Trump’s job approval in Tennessee is underwater: just 48% of voters approve of the job he is doing, while 51% disapprove.

POLITICS

Policy Polling Results: Artificial Intelligence

Tennesseans broadly approve of the public having access to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, with 54% approving and 34% disapproving.

AI AND TECH

Among Tennesseans who are currently employed, a third (33%) are concerned that AI could eliminate their own job within the next five years, while 65% are not concerned.

AI AND TECH

How will AI impact jobs over the next decade?

AI and Tech
Eliminate more jobs than it creates
53%
Primarily help people perform their existing jobs better
12%
Create more new jobs than it eliminates
7%
The positive and negative effects will be about equal
19%
Unsure
9%

When it comes to AI in healthcare, a majority (55%) say AI should be allowed with clear limits and human oversight, and only 29% say it should not be used because the risks are too great.

AI AND TECH

In K-12 schools, however, a plurality (42%) say AI should not be used in classrooms because the risks are too great, while 40% would allow it with limits and teacher oversight.

AI AND TECH

Nashville hosting the 2030 Super Bowl is one of the most unifying findings in the entire poll, with 83% of Tennesseans thinking it will be a good thing for Nashville and the state, while just 11% think it will be bad (+72%).  That enthusiasm, however, narrows considerably once the price tag comes into focus. When told that Nashville officials expect to spend roughly $60 million to host the game, with much of the public share coming from tourism-related tax revenue, support drops to 62%, and opposition rises to 27%.

Policy Polling Results: Data Centers

Only 4% of Tennesseans correctly say facilities commonly called data centers have existed for more than 50 years.

AI and Tech
Within the past 5 years
38%
Within the past 25 years
20%
Within the past 50 years
7%
More than 50 years
4%
Unsure
31%

Tennessee’s new law generally barring cities and electric utilities from paying or absorbing the cost of electrical infrastructure built specifically to serve large data centers has bipartisan consensus, with 70% of voters supporting it and just 15% opposing it.

AI AND TECH

Voters are far cooler, however, on the idea of Tennessee following 38 other states in offering dedicated tax incentives to attract data centers: just 27% support the idea, and 61% oppose it, and it is underwater among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

AI AND TECH

What are Tennesseans' biggest concerns about data centers?

AI and Tech
Impact on electricity costs and electric reliability for other ratepayers
24%
Water use or other environmental impacts
19%
Data privacy or security
14%
Health or safety impacts on nearby communities
13%
The amount of land they require
5%
Their role in the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence
5%
The limited number of permanent jobs they may create
5%
Noise
3%

Methodology

  • Online poll of 1,200 registered voters in Tennessee
  • Only respondents who passed our data quality checks were included in the final results and compensated for participating.
  • Sampling was stratified by demographics and geography.
  • Results were weighted by demographics, party, geography, and behavioral measures to properly reflect the profile of the state.
  • Estimated margin of error: +/- 2.77%
  • Fieldwork: August 15 through August 26, 2026
  • Due to weighting and rounding, percentages may not always total exactly 100%.
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