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Nearly a third of voters say housing affordability may affect their presidential pick, survey finds

By Daniel Miller
Published  October 15, 2024 2:30pm EDT
2024 Election
Fox TV Stations
article

FILE-A for sale sign is displayed outside a home for sale on August 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • A new survey reveals that 32% of renters say housing affordability could influence who they choose for president, according to Redfin.
    • Approximately 52% of homeowners polled say they are better off financially than they were four years ago.
    • Two of the biggest issues among people polled are the economy and inflation.

Housing is one of the top issues in this year’s election and with rising mortgage rates creating challenges for some to buy a home, a recent survey shows that this could influence who some voters select as the next president. 

Redfin released a survey revealing that 32% of renters say housing affordability is a top three issue when it comes to determining which presidential candidate they will support, compared to 17% of homeowners.

A major concern among respondents in general was the economy, with 46% of respondents listing it as a top three issue. Next came inflation (40.4%), health care (26.3%), housing affordability (25.1%) and crime and safety (23.5%).

RELATED: Housing prices in these states will become 'more affordable,’ Redfin CEO says

According to the survey, 52.1% of homeowners polled tell Redfin that they’re better off financially than they were four years ago, compared with less than 44.2% of renters. 

Redfin noted that voters supporting Vice President Kamala Harris were slightly more likely than Donald Trump voters to rank housing affordability as a top issue. 

Approximately 25.1% of respondents who plan to vote for Harris ranked housing affordability as a top three issue, compared with 20.4% of respondents who plan to vote for Trump. 

RELATED: US housing shortage grew to 4.5 million homes amid affordability crisis, data reveals

To collect data for the survey, Redfin polled 894 U.S. renters and 805 U.S. homeowners aged 18-65. The report focuses on responses to the following question: "How important will each of these issues be in your choice of which candidate to support? Please rank, with one being the most important issue." Respondents were asked to rank a list of 14 issues. If they ranked an issue 1, 2 or 3, it is considered a "top-three issue." 

The Source

  • Information for this story was provided by Redfin.  The real estate company polled 894 renters and 805 homeowners aged 18-65.  The report focuses on responses to the following question: "How important will each of these issues be in your choice of which candidate to support? Please rank, with 1 being the most important issue." Respondents were asked to rank a list of 14 issues. If they ranked an issue 1, 2 or 3, it is considered a "top-three issue." This story was reported from Washington, D.C.