Among
voters
who
cast
their
ballots
by
Nov.
1,
38%
said
that
the
issue
of
housing

affordability
impacted
their
choice
in
the
presidential
contest,
according
to

new
survey
data
released
this
week
by


Redfin.

The
survey
was
conducted
by

Ipsos
within
an
extremely
narrow
time
frame
of
24
hours
on
Oct.
31
and
Nov.
1.
The
respondent
pool
was
a
nationally
representative
sample
of
1,002
U.S.
adults
ages
18
and
older.
Both
major
party
candidates,
Kamala
Harris
and
Donald
Trump,
have

discussed
their
housing
plans
with
varying
levels
of
detail
during
the
election
cycle.
But
the
survey
results
suggest
that
at
least
on
the
core
issue
of
affordability,
one
candidate
has
the
edge.

“Kamala
Harris
voters
were
much
more
likely
than

Donald
Trump
voters
to
say
housing
affordability
factored
into
their
decision:
43%
of
respondents
who
already
voted
for
Harris
say
affordability
impacted
their
pick,
compared
to
29%
of
respondents
who
already
voted
for
Trump,”
according
to
Redfin.

Generally,
people
who
have
already
voted
—
regardless
of
their
choice
of
candidate
—
“were
less
likely
to
factor
housing
affordability
into
their
presidential
decision
than
most
other
issues
we
asked
about,”
the
survey
explained.
“Eleven
of
the
14
issues
listed
in
the
survey
were
more
likely
than
housing
affordability
to
impact
votes.”

Voter
perceptions
of
how

mortgage
rates
would
be
impacted
by
the
election
were
also
tabulated.
Roughly
one-third
of
respondents
believe
that
rates
will
fall
under
a
Trump
presidency,
compared
to
about
one-quarter
of
those
who
think
the
same
under
a
Harris
administration.
A
larger
share
of
respondents
also
believe
rates
will
rise
under
Harris
(32%)
versus
Trump
(28%).

The
campaigns’
general
focus
on
other,
more
widely
discussed
national
issues
like
the
economy
or
reproductive
rights
seemed
to
hold
more
sway
over
voters,
the
survey
results
noted.

The
leading
concerns
for
early
voters
were
the
economy
(63%),
inflation
(59%)
and
protections
for
democracy
(56%).

Other
leading
issues
included
immigration
(55%),
health
care
(52%),
crime
and
safety
(47%),
abortion
access
(45%),
U.S.
involvement
in
foreign
conflicts
(41%)
freedom
of
speech
(41%),
gun
violence
(40%)
and
the
standing
of
the
U.S.
in
the
global
community
(38%).

Issues
suggested
to
have
less
of
an
impact
on
candidate
choice
than
housing
affordability
include

climate
change
(36%)
and
gender-affirming
care
access
(19%).

Still,
the
noise
surrounding
a
national
election
is
often
distracting,
and
housing
affordability
could
play
a
larger
role
in
local
elections,
according
to
the
survey
results.

“Two
in
five
(40%)
U.S.
residents
who
have
already
voted
say
housing
affordability
factored
into
their
pick
for
local
races,”
Redfin
explained.
“Crime
and
safety
was
the
most
important
consideration,
with
50%
of
early
voters
saying
it
impacted
their
decision
on
who
to
vote
for.
It’s
followed
by
the
economy
(46%)
and
inflation
(41%),
then
housing
affordability.”

Issues
regarding
housing
affordability
and
facilitating
new
construction
are
largely
made
at
the
local
level.
These
include
policies
that
impact
rental
costs
and
zoning
requirements
that
dictate
where
and
when
certain
types
of
homes
can
be
built.

Related