Housing issues are the most pressing issues among Massachusetts voters in the current election year.
According to a new UMass Amherst/WCVB poll, 34% of respondents said the lack of housing and the absence of affordability were the top political issue they want addressed by Gov. Maura Healey and the state legislature. This is up from 31% in the last poll, which was conducted in October. In comparison, the second-most pressing issue was immigration, which was cited by 18% of respondents. No other issue received more than a 9% share among those polled.
Among the poll’s respondents who said they tried to purchase a home in the past year, 44% complained they were unable to find a suitable home within their budget, 35% said they made an offer that was declined and 34% were unable to find a property that suited their needs. Among the respondents who tried to rent a home in the past year, 63% said they could not find anything in their price range and 38% were unable to save enough money to cover the first and last month’s rent and a security deposit.
As for the solutions to address these challenges, most respondents favored several proposals from the governor and state legislators including a “mansion tax” on real estate sales over $1 million that would be used to fund affordable housing and limits on annual rent increases. The poll was based on a survey of 700 people between May 17-30. The margin of error is 4.4%.
Photo: JJBers / Flickr Creative Commons
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