A recent poll commissioned by the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, a bipartisan group led by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and other steering committee partners, found that nearly 9 in 10 (89%) of 1,000 adults (both Democrat and Republican survey respondents) surveyed nationwide between June 28 and July 1, 2021 believe that the role of role of government is important when it comes to making sure there is enough affordable housing. The national public opinion poll, conducted by The Tarrance Group, found that “strong majorities of people support policy proposals related to residential mobility, emergency crisis assistance, affordable housing construction in well-resourced neighborhoods, and other crucial issues related to affordable housing.”
The poll revealed bipartisan support for policies that:
- expand investments in housing development programs that will build more housing units that are affordable for low-income people (88% of Democrats, 62% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans)
- ensure that many newly constructed housing units are affordable for households with the lowest incomes and are located in neighborhoods that are safe, have good schools, and have good job prospects (90% of Democrats, 60% of Independents, and 62% of Republicans)
- provide emergency crisis assistance for households with the lowest incomes to help cover the rent if they experience an unexpected economic hardship, such as losing a job or a medical emergency that is not covered by insurance (86% of Democrats, 62% of Independents, and 61% of Republicans)
The poll also showed strong support for the urgent importance of dealing with the affordable housing crisis in the U.S., with 2 in 3 (67%) of respondents agreeing that federal housing investments should be part of the discussion around the infrastructure spending in Congress. To view a more in-depth fact sheet of the poll results, click here.