Majority of Americans say affordable housing is a problem | The Numbers Racket

An astonishing 85 percent of renters and homeowners across the country agree that affordable housing where they live is a problem, according to a January report by the Pew Research Center. 

Forty-nine percent of respondents to the Pew study said that affordable housing is a major problem in their community, while another 36 percent said it was a minor problem in their community. 

Just 14 percent of respondents said it was not a problem at all. 

Across the board, Urban dwellers were more likely (63 percent) to say that affordable housing is a major problem in their community compared to suburban (46 percent) and rural dwellers (40 percent). 

The study also found an overall consensus regardless of age. 

80 … the percentage of respondents aged 65+ who said affordable housing is a major or minor problem in their community. 

84 … the percentage of respondents ages 50-64 who said affordable housing is a major or minor problem in their community. 

87 … the percentage of respondents ages 30-49 who said affordable housing is a major or minor problem in their community. 

88 … the percentage of respondents ages 18-29 who said affordable housing is a major or minor problem in their community. 

Respondents aged 65+ made up the largest percentage (19 percent) of Americans who said affordable housing was not a problem in their community, followed by the 50-64 age group (15 percent). 

Among respondents in the 30-49 age group, 13 percent said affordable housing was not a problem in their community, compared to 10 percent of respondents ages 18-29. 

Even when split by political party, the majority of Americans agree that affordable housing is a problem in their community. 

In fact, 79 percent of those surveyed who identified as Republican or leaned Republican said that affordable housing was a major or minor problem in their community, compared to 90 percent of respondents who identified as Democrat or leaning Democrat.