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A new poll says nearly half of all Massachusetts voters and fully half of independents oppose a proposal that would open the door to municipal rent control ordinances.
The telephone survey of 500 likely voters statewide was conducted between Jan. 18 and Jan. 20 by MassINC Polling Group, sponsored by Data for Progress and asked respondents about a wide range of political topics.
Unlike some past polling on the issue, respondents were asked a question framed in a “pretty neutral” way, MassINC Polling Group President Steve Koczella said in a webinar Monday announcing the results: “Would you support or oppose allowing local governments to set limits on rent or rent increases for privately owned housing?”
Statewide, 42 percent of voters supported the idea, and 48 percent were opposed. The idea was more popular among likely Democratic primary voters – 52 percent support, with 29 percent strongly supporting the idea – and less popular with independent voters, only 40 percent of whom supported the idea and 50 percent opposed. Eighty-two percent of registered Republicans opposed the idea.
Voters’ age and race did not appear to significantly influence their support for rent control, although the less-educated a voter was, the more likely they were to strongly oppose the idea.
Support was strongest among voters making less than $50,000 per year, with 59 percent of those respondents either somewhat or strongly supporting the idea, compared to only 41 percent of respondents making more than $100,000 per year – a correlation Koczella called “not surprising.”
Geography also correlated with support for allowing rent control, with urban voters holding stronger opinions: 41 percent strongly opposed the idea, 6 percent “somewhat opposed” the idea, 24 percent somewhat supporting the idea, 26 percent strongly supporting the idea and only 3 percent saying they don’t know or refusing. Among suburban voters, those percentages were 33 percent, 18 percent, 18 percent, 21 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
The idea also polled better among those who had a favorable opinion of Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running for governor, and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who is not, with 47 percent of the former’s supporters and 52 percent of the latter’s backing allowing rent control.
