One of the bigger storylines of the 2025 legislative session thus far has been housing policy. Regulatory changes designed to make housing more affordable and accessible have united the left, right and business community and drawn the ire of local governments.
Differentiators Data conducted a statewide survey on housing issues last month and our client agreed to publicize the findings and the following summary memo.
Methodology
Differentiators Data conducted a general election survey for the NC Housing Table. The purpose of the survey was to assess public opinion on several housing, affordability and property rights proposals at the state and local levels. The data for the survey was gathered through multi-modal responses from 500 likely general election voters April 11-14, 2025, with a margin of error of +/- 4.5%.
Bottom Line
The survey establishes housing as a top issue for North Carolina voters of both parties, though there are some notable differences between political parties and demographics on the issue and proposed solutions.
Republicans, Democrats and Unaffiliated voters agree by strong margins that housing costs are a problem. Additionally, voters between the ages of 18-29 and 30-40 are more concerned about the affordability of renting or purchasing housing and consider it a “big problem.” As it relates to property rights, Republicans more strongly support property owners deciding what to build on their property than Unaffiliated or Democratic voters.
Broad Support to Make Housing More Affordable and Attainable
- A whopping 81% of voters said they agree that “The average person cannot find a home, apartment or condominium they can afford to rent or purchase.” Only 13% disagreed with this statement. 75% of voters who consider themselves Republicans agreed, 78% of Unaffiliateds and 91% of Democrats. 82% of rural voters agree, as did 79% of exurban and 81% of urban voters. Amongst all age groups, at least 79% agreed with 88% of those aged 18-29.
- 70% of voters rated “one of the biggest problems (is)…the cost of renting or buying a home in North Carolina” as a problem or a big problem, including 39% who rated it as a big problem. Only 25% said it is not a problem at all. 61% of Republicans, 68% of Unaffiliateds and 83% of Democrats said it was a problem or big problem as well as 82% of those aged 18-29 and 77% of those aged 30-40. Amongst urban voters, 72% said it was a problem or big problem.
- 69% of voters said the high cost of housing had a negative impact on their ability to achieve other financial goals like saving for retirement, buying a home, starting a family or affording educational expenses. 66% of voters who consider themselves Republicans said it had a negative impact, 64% of Unaffiliateds and 76% of Democrats. Of those aged 18-29, 86% said it had a negative impact as did 89% of those aged 30-40.
- 68% of voters agree, “local counties, cities and towns make it too hard to find enough housing the average person can afford.” Of those, 37% strongly agreed. 65% of voters who consider themselves Republicans agreed, 61% of Unaffiliateds and 80% of Democrats.
- A strong, bipartisan bloc of voters surveyed support policy proposals for homeowners choosing design features (85%), converting old strip malls to housing (83%), ADUs (78%), farmland protections (76%), 90-day permitting limit (74%) and parking deregulations (63%).
Visualizing the Poll: Housing Costs are a Major Voter Concern
Voters are Concerned About Local Government’s Impact on Housing
Voters are concerned that local governments make it too hard to obtain available and affordable housing and expressed support for property owners and the market – not government bureaucrats – being the main decision maker.
Support for Housing Access and Affordability Proposals
The tables below show the difference in the housing access and affordability proposals by political party, location, age and race.
- 85% of voters support a “proposal to protect a homeowner’s right to choose the exterior color, building materials, windows and other architectural features of their homes.”
- 83% of voters support a “proposal to allow apartment homes to be built near
business and shopping districts in place of old offices and strip malls.” - 78% of voters support a “proposal to allow homeowners to add small backyard
cottages or garage apartments – often called accessory dwelling units or ADUs – to their existing lots.” - 76% of voters support a “proposal to protect farmland and rural open spaces by allowing more homes to be built in suburban and urban areas.”
- 74% of voters support a “proposal to reduce delays in the creation of new housing by setting a standardized 90-day deadline for local governments to consider and issue permits for new homes.”
- 63% of voters support a “proposal that allows local property owners to decide how much parking to provide for new homes, rather than bureaucratic formulas set by the government.”