Poll: Housing affordability is a top concern for Mass. residents

A new poll shows that availability and affordability of housing is, by a large margin, the top priority Massachusetts residents want state legislators to address. 

In the poll, conducted by UMass Amherst and WCVB, 34 percent of respondents had the housing crisis at the top of their list of issues they want Governor Maura Healey and the state legislature to take steps to solve in the next year. That number is up from 31 percent in October. 

The 700 residents polled also indicated that their biggest barrier to buying or renting a property was finding something in their price range. Most also supported allowing accessory dwelling units, taxing real estate transactions above $1 million, and providing tax breaks to developers to build more low-income housing. 

“As the commonwealth experiences record high average home prices, escalating rents and shortages of both available homes and rental units, it is no surprise that housing is not only viewed as the most important problem facing the state but the one issue that residents want Gov. Healey and the state Legislature to tackle,” Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of the poll, said in a statement.

The results were released Monday, the same day the Mass. House unveiled a $6.2 billion housing bond bill that aims to ease the state’s housing crisis. 

“With unified government now a reality in the Bay State and overwhelming support across demographic and political groups for the governor and Legislature to deal with this crisis, voters likely expect movement on this issue as soon as possible,” Nteta said. “While failure to address the housing conundrum may not have electoral consequences in the 2024 election, if the problem persists, expect the housing crisis to be used as the rationale to ‘throw the bums out’ in 2026 and beyond.”

Residents believe interest rates are to blame for high housing costs

For residents who considered a move from the state in the past year, high living costs were one of the most common reasons for relocating, according to the poll. 

After not being able to find something in their price range, the next most common barrier for residents looking to buy a house was having their offer rejected. This is followed by being unable to find a home that meets their needs, the poll shows.

Those trying to rent a residence found themselves facing similar challenges, the poll suggests. Sixty-three percent of respondents said options they had looked at were out of their price range and 38 percent said they were unable to save enough money for rent and a security deposit. 

“This is a serious problem that hurts communities as well as the individuals seeking homes,” Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, said in a statement. “When people can’t move where they want to move, they have a harder time accessing jobs, schools and social services.”

Only 5 percent of respondents thought Healey was the most responsible for soaring housing costs. Residents largely believed that high interest rates were to blame, followed by the Massachusetts State Legislature.

When compared to UMass’s last poll in October, results indicated that more residents strongly support policies aimed at alleviating the housing crisis.

More respondents said they strongly support rent control, and the number of those who agree with tax breaks for developers seeking to convert empty office buildings to housing increased by 5 percentage points. 

In addition to supporting accessory dwelling units and taxing large real estate transactions, respondents indicated they agreed with requiring towns and cities served by the MBTA to create zoning for new multi-family housing. The latter is an initiative included in the MBTA Communities Act, a law facing increasing opposition from some cities and towns.

New Mass. House bill introduces some initiatives supported by poll respondents

The new Mass. House housing bond bill, slated to be voted on this week, introduces funding for various initiatives to increase affordable housing in the state, including $150 million to help municipalities convert commercial properties into residential housing. 

The proposal would also allow accessory dwelling units in certain districts. But the bill — a rewrite of a resolution initially introduced by Healey — cut out the governor’s initiative to tax real estate transactions of over $1 million. 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the exclusion of the transfer fee is “disappointing” and that the measure is “broadly popular.”

“Given the severity of the housing crisis in the state, it should be no surprise that strong majorities of Massachusetts residents support a wide range of innovative policies to increase the supply of affordable housing, including allowing homeowners to add small accessory dwelling units to their houses, and allowing local governments to tax real estate transactions above $1 million to help raise funds for local affordable housing. These are policies proposed by Gov. Healey that the state Legislature could consider as they seek to address the housing crisis,” Rhodes said. 

Immigration the second most important issue for residents

The second biggest concern on residents’ minds is immigration, according to the poll. Eighteen percent of respondents said they would like to see state officials address the issue in the coming year, up from 12 percent in October. 

Climate change, homelessness, and transportation and infrastructure were also at the top of respondents’ priorities, the poll showed. 

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