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To gauge what Massachusetts residents are really thinking about housing, a nonprofit organization turned to the modern-day water cooler of social media.
Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association found some surprising trends after analyzing more than 800,000 recent social media posts: sentiment generally supported more housing production.
The most prevalent anti-housing production themes were effects on parking availability and traffic congestion, and the prevalence of “luxury” housing in new developments.
Using artificial intelligence software tools, CHAPA and consultant January Advisors analyzed more than 800,000 social media comments on local housing topics. Sources included social media platforms such as Reddit, Youtube and comments on Boston Globe articles.
Platforms, particularly Reddit, are trusted sources of crowd-sourced information on housing advice, but 21 percent of responses were inaccurate, the report found. That points toward an opportunity for nonprofits and government agencies to take a more active role online, said Jennifer Gilbert, the Musicant Cohen executive director of CHAPA’s Housing Policy Action Center.
“This is where people are going. This is where people are feeling comfortable, and also they are not getting correct information,” Gilbert said.
CHAPA will host an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit to that end, Gilbert said, with details to be announced in the near future.
Only a small fraction of the comments focused on policy issues, according to the study: more than 90 percent reflected commenters’ own experiences with the Bay State housing market. Many expressed frustration with high housing costs and shortage of desirable or affordable options.
Policy goals, including Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s overarching target of generating 222,000 new homes statewide by 2035, didn’t resonate as strongly online. Fewer than one in 5,000 posts or comments mentioned the figure.
Rent and affordability dominated the online conversation, followed by comments about the region’s notorious commuting challenges and transit topics.
The analysis did not include Facebook comments, which are not easily harvested for analysis, said January Advisors Principal Consultant Jeff Reichman.
Founded in 1967, Boston-based CHAPA advocates for housing production and preservation of affordable housing.
