Voters Overwhelmingly Support a Range of Solutions to Address the Housing Crisis
By Anika Dandekar
Recently, many national leaders have proposed policies like down payment assistance and social housing to address the country's housing shortage and affordability crisis.
New national polling conducted by Data for Progress, in collaboration with Center for American Progress, reveals that large majorities of voters think housing affordability is worsening and that federal policies have an important role to play in addressing this issue.
Two-thirds of respondents say owning a home is a “major” part of their life goals. However, voters say that, both nationally and in their own communities, the affordability of housing is worsening. Housing affordability is more likely to be reported as worsening than a variety of other issues, such as crime or violence. Seventy-seven percent of voters, including over two-thirds of voters across party lines and demographics, agree there is a housing shortage and the country needs more homes and rentals.
When thinking about the root causes of the affordability crisis, wide majorities of voters say the following present “serious” problems for housing affordability:
First-time homebuyers are facing too many difficulties saving up for a down payment (70%).
Wealthy investors and foreign hedge funds are buying up American land and homes as investments, not as places to live (65%).
There aren’t enough homes because the labor, materials, and land needed to build a new home are too expensive for average Americans (61%).
Private equity firms and big investors are buying up too many homes to profit from them as rentals (60%).
Voters were then asked if they support or oppose a wide range of solutions that may improve housing affordability:
Improving millions of rundown homes by funding critical safety repairs (80% support)
Building and repairing 3 million affordable homes and rental units nationwide (80% support)
Providing funding for local communities to build and maintain affordable housing for American workers like firefighters and teachers (79% support)
Preventing landlords from using AI that limits competition and leads to price gouging (78% support)
Ending tax breaks that allow investors to buy up many homes at once to profit off of as rentals (75% support)
Incentivizing local governments to remove restrictive zoning rules and red tape so more housing can be built (70% support)
Providing up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers (69% support)
Building and repairing owner-occupied homes, paid for by a tax on large property investors (68% support)
Cutting regulations to allow housing to be built on more federal lands (58% support)
Voters were also asked if they believe the government has a role to play in the housing market to address basic needs and affordability concerns, or if the government should not play a role in the housing market, which is better left to private stakeholders than a government providing handouts. A majority of voters (64%) agree that the government should play a role in the housing market, by a +35-point net margin. This includes Democrats by a +69-point margin and Independents by a +27-point margin. Republicans are split evenly between the two statements. Voters living in urban (69%), suburban (63%), and rural (60%) areas all agree that the government should play a role in the housing market.
The vast majority of voters agree that housing affordability is one of the most pressing issues in communities. They hope to own their homes, but say that average Americans lack the resources to make that a reality and face unfair competition in the market from wealthy investors. Voters strongly support many policy proposals at the federal level, including funding for more housing development, critical repairs for health and safety, and down payment assistance.
Anika Dandekar (@AnikaDandekar) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.