The majority of the nation’s voters are in favor of politicians that promote homeownership and oppose eliminating the mortgage interest deduction, according to a recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) poll.
"Despite the current housing downturn, Americans still see homeownership as a core value and a key building block of being in the middle class and creating strong jobs in their communities," said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, which conducted the survey along with Public Opinion Strategies. "The bottom line: The bipartisan consensus … is that owning a home remains an essential part of the American Dream and voters would strongly oppose any efforts by lawmakers to increase barriers to homeownership."
The poll’s key findings include:
- 73 percent of all respondents – both owners and renters – believe the federal government should provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.
- 71 percent of voters oppose proposals to eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, and 63 percent oppose efforts to reduce it.
- 75 percent of voters said owning a home is the best long-term investment they can make.
- 73 percent of voters who do not now own a home said it is a goal of theirs to eventually buy a home.
- 95 percent of home owners said they are happy with their decision to own a home, and believe that owning their own home is important.
"Those in Congress who believe that homeownership and housing choice should no longer be national priorities would be well-served to study the results of this poll and hear what the American people think," said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen. "To put it another way, America’s voters have spoken. If Congress abandons policies to support the goal of homeownership and to keep housing affordable, lawmakers could be in for a rude awakening in the 2012 elections."
