Housing affordability is a political unifier among swing-state voters

If there’s one word that best encapsulates the current political climate, it might be “polarized.” People who are active in the political process are often tribal about their beliefs on how the country should be run, and that tribalism has manifested into political polarization that seems to be striking everywhere.

But with only two weeks remaining until the Nov. 5 general election, a new survey has shown that people can agree on something — the need for more affordable housing, and even for the government to do more to address the issue. This is according to the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) inside the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.

The new survey was conducted across six swing states that are widely expected to decide the presidential race next month: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Polls in these states have consistently shown that either major party presidential candidate that has managed to take the lead over the past few months has largely done so within a margin of error of 3% to 5%. This fuels the perception that the race remains incredibly close across these critical battlegrounds.

But when it comes to the needs for addressing housing affordability, there is majority support in each of these states for the federal government to take action. And in many cases, these majorities are bipartisan, especially when it comes to addressing the needs of low- and middle-income households.

Respondents to the PPC survey were given information about the current level of activity the federal government is engaged in regarding affordable housing. They were told that “housing is considered affordable when it costs the household no more than 30% of their income to live there.”

They were then offered a series of proposals that would expand government involvement in the affordable housing sector beyond its primary focus on low-income people, including $40 billion in grants to repair or rehabilitate housing units for low-income families, and to expand support for low-interest loans to homebuilders.

These proposals are favored by margins of 69% to 73% in each swing state, the survey results explain. This includes a majority of Republicans (57% to 63%) and Democrats (79% to 89%). At the national level, a bipartisan majority (74%) expressed support, including 86% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans.

Another proposal involves a tax credit for building and/or repairing rental housing “on the condition that 60% of them are affordable to middle-income households,” the results explained. This proposal is favored by margins of 69% to 73% within the swing states, with slightly lower majorities of Republicans and slightly higher majorities of Democrats indicating support. These results also largely conform with national support beyond the swing states.

“In the swing states, bipartisan majorities want the Federal government to pursue an active and multi-pronged approach to deal with the high cost of housing.” PPC director Steven Kull said in a statement.

Some of the most common housing talking points from the major party candidates were also surveyed. These include a proposal for $25,000 in downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers that has served as a cornerstone of Vice President Kamala Harris’ housing plan.

“Providing assistance — up to $25,000 — to help first-time homebuyers cover the down payment on a home, with more assistance for people whose parents never owned a home, is favored by majorities in every swing state (63-68%),” according to the survey results.

This includes a vast majority of Democrats (81% to 87%), but there is more variation among Republicans. For those who identify as GOP voters, “a majority is in favor in Georgia (54%), [but] views are closely divided in Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, and less than half are in favor in Michigan and Wisconsin (43-44%).”

Nationally, 67% are in favor of the down payment assistance proposal, but the majority — while present — is “bare” on the Republican side at 52%.

Majorities of respondents also responded favorably to reducing large corporate ownership of single-family homes, and in continuing federal incentives for communities that have more favorable zoning laws that allow for more denser housing, including mixed-use properties.

Majorities in the swing states and nationally also favor expanding housing voucher access to more people to the tune of $24 billion. But a recent lawsuit filed in California also shows that some housing professionals may be averse to accepting such vouchers.