63% of Americans Don’t Think the Midterm Elections Will Help the Housing Market
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say the U.S. is in a housing crisis, and 78% want the next Congress to make housing affordability a priority. But most doubt the midterm elections will deliver.
With the midterm elections just weeks away, housing costs are weighing on voters. Most Americans (74%) say the U.S. is in a housing crisis, and 70% say housing is a bigger issue in this election than it was in 2024.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%), however, doubt the midterms will improve the housing market.
Washington has already taken a swing at addressing the problem. In July, a major bipartisan housing bill became law without President Trump’s signature, but nearly three-quarters of Americans (71%) don’t even know it passed.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Clever Real Estate, a low-commission real estate broker, surveyed 1,000 Americans about housing affordability and the economy.
Here’s what they said about the housing crisis, who they blame, and what they expect from the midterms.
70% say housing costs are a bigger issue in this election than in 2024.
36% say neither party has a clear plan to improve the economy.
58% say current government policies are making housing affordability worse, while just 9% say they’re making it better.
49% expect housing affordability to get worse if Republicans keep control of Congress, compared with 31% if Democrats gain control.
64% don’t know their congressional candidates’ positions on housing.
71% aren’t aware of the bipartisan housing bill that became law in July.
33% of Republicans say Trump’s policies have made the housing market worse, compared with 92% of Democrats.
47% of non-homeowners support new apartment buildings in their community, compared with just 25% of homeowners.
74% of Americans Say the U.S. Is in a Housing Crisis
Heading into the midterm elections, most Americans agree the country has a housing problem. That concern crosses party lines, even if the intensity varies.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say the U.S. is currently experiencing a housing crisis, including 88% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans. Non-homeowners (84%) are more likely than homeowners (70%) to agree.
Who Says the U.S. Is in a Housing Crisis?
By party
ALL AMERICANS 74%By homeownership
That feeling is following voters to the polls. About 70% say housing costs are a bigger issue in this election than they were in 2024, including 84% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans.
For many, the frustration is personal. Nearly two-thirds (63%) feel angry about housing costs, rising to 78% of non-homeowners, compared with 57% of homeowners.
Few think Washington is helping. More than half of Americans (58%) say current government policies are making housing affordability worse, while just 9% say they’re making it better.
63% of Americans Don’t Think the Midterm Elections Will Help the Housing Market
Americans want Washington to act on housing, but most don’t realize Congress already passed a major housing law this summer.
More than three-quarters (78%) want the next Congress to make housing affordability a priority, including 91% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans.
Among Americans who plan to vote, 85% say housing affordability is at least somewhat important when choosing candidates, and 31% say it’s extremely important.
Nearly two-thirds (64%), however, don’t know their congressional candidates’ positions on housing, including 57% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans.
Despite wanting Congress to make housing a priority, 71% aren’t aware of the bipartisan housing affordability bill that became law in July 2026. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate 85-5 and the House 358-32 and became law July 11 without President Trump’s signature.
What Americans Don’t Know Heading Into the Midterm Elections
Do you know your congressional candidates’ positions on housing?
Are you aware of the bipartisan housing bill that became law in July 2026?
The new law bans large institutional investors, or those controlling 350 or more single-family homes, from buying any more starting Jan. 7, 2027, with some exceptions.
It’s a policy most Americans already support. About 61% want large corporations restricted from buying homes, including 65% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans. Yet 70% of those supporters don’t know it’s already law.
Voters Care as Much About Data Centers and AI as They Do About Home Prices
Among Americans who plan to vote, inflation and the cost of living (77%) is the most commonly cited voting issue, followed by healthcare (63%), energy and gas prices (60%), and Social Security and Medicare (59%). Fewer than half (47%) cite home or rent prices.
Inflation and the cost of living is the top voting issue for both Democrats (80%) and Republicans (70%). After that, Republicans prioritize immigration (65%) and taxes (58%), while Democrats prioritize healthcare (73%) and Social Security and Medicare (66%).
Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to cite home or rent prices (58% vs. 35%).
Where Do Home Prices Rank Among Voters’ Issues?
Americans are prioritizing newer issues, too. Those who plan to vote are just as likely to cite data center development and AI as an important issue in the midterm elections as they are home prices (39% each).
More than three-quarters (81%) are concerned about data center development in their community, 81% are concerned about AI replacing jobs, and 92% are concerned about the cost of electricity. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be very concerned about data centers (52% vs. 35%) and AI replacing jobs (47% vs. 33%).
36% of Americans Say Neither Party Has a Clear Plan to Improve the Economy
More than half of Americans (54%) feel financially worse off than they did two years ago. Yet most aren’t confident that either party can turn the economy around.
Only 39% think the Democratic party has a clear plan to improve the economy, 31% think the Republican party does, and 36% say neither party does.
Independents are the most skeptical. More than half (55%) say neither party has a clear plan, compared with 29% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans.
Nearly one-third of Americans (31%) say their support for the party they most align with has decreased in the past year, including 34% of Republicans and 26% of Democrats.
As a result, 41% of Americans would consider crossing party lines to vote for a candidate with a strong housing plan, including 38% of Democrats and 33% of Republicans. That rises to 51% among those who struggle to afford their housing payments, compared with 36% of those who don’t.
If Republicans keep control of Congress, 49% expect housing affordability to get worse and just 21% expect it to get better. If Democrats gain control, 31% expect it to get worse and 37% expect it to get better.
What Do Americans Expect From Each Party in Congress?
Housing affordability
The economy
Others don’t expect the election to matter much for housing affordability, with 30% expecting no change under a Republican Congress and 32% under a Democratic one.
Expectations for the economy and personal finances are similar. More than half (52%) expect the economy to get worse if Republicans keep control of Congress, compared with 36% if Democrats gain control. And 44% expect their personal finances to get worse under a Republican Congress, compared with 32% under a Democratic one.
1 in 3 Republicans Say Trump’s Policies Have Made the Housing Market Worse
When it comes to casting blame for the housing crisis, Americans are split along party lines. But even some Republicans are skeptical of how the current administration has handled housing.
Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say Trump’s policies have made the housing market worse, and 68% say they’ve made the economy worse. That includes 33% and 34% of Republicans, compared with 92% and 94% of Democrats, respectively.
Who Says Trump’s Policies Have Hurt Housing and the Economy?
Republicans are also less confident in their own party. Only 45% of Republicans expect housing affordability to improve if their party retains control of Congress, compared with 67% of Democrats who expect it to improve if their party gains control.
Overall, 87% are concerned about tariffs and the price of imported goods, including 97% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans. More than three-quarters (77%) say tariffs have made building homes more expensive, but Democrats (92%) are much more likely to say so than Republicans (60%).
Nearly half of Americans (48%) blame the Trump administration for the housing affordability crisis, followed by corporate and institutional investors (37%), mortgage lenders and banks (33%), home builders and developers (33%), and the Biden administration (23%).
Blame splits sharply by party. About 71% of Democrats blame the Trump administration, compared with 17% of Republicans, while 45% of Republicans blame the Biden administration, compared with 6% of Democrats. More than a third of Republicans (35%) also blame immigrants, compared with 5% of Democrats.
Who Do Democrats and Republicans Blame for the Housing Crisis?
Americans are more likely, however, to see Congress and state governments as part of the solution to the housing crisis than its cause, while investors are more likely to take the blame:
- 47% say state governments can improve housing affordability, while 28% blame them for the crisis.
- 45% say Congress can improve housing affordability, while 31% blame it for the crisis.
- 22% say corporate and institutional investors can improve housing affordability, while 37% blame them for the crisis.
47% of Homeowners Couldn’t Afford to Buy a Home Today
No matter who wins in November, buying a home is out of reach for most Americans, including many who already own one. Those affordability struggles are shaping how people vote.
More than half of Americans (58%) couldn’t afford to buy a home today, including 47% of homeowners and 86% of non-homeowners. Nearly 1 in 3 (31%) struggle to afford their current housing payments, including 53% of non-homeowners and 22% of homeowners.
Who Could Afford to Buy a Home Today?
Housing struggles may be loosening party loyalty. Republicans who struggle with housing payments are twice as likely as those who don’t to consider crossing party lines for a candidate with a strong housing plan (54% vs. 27%). Among Democrats, the gap is smaller (44% vs. 34%).
Nearly all Americans are concerned about rising property taxes (90%) and homeowners insurance costs (88%), including 93% and 92% of homeowners, respectively. Three-quarters of Americans (76%) are concerned about rising mortgage rates, while 70% are concerned about rent prices, including 91% of non-homeowners.
Everyday costs still top the list. Nearly all Americans are concerned about inflation (95%), the cost of food and groceries (95%), healthcare costs (94%), and the cost of gasoline (93%).
What Costs Are Americans Concerned About?
Everyday costs
Housing costs
67% of Non-Homeowners Say Trump’s Policies Have Made It Harder to Buy a Home
For Americans who don’t own a home, buying one feels further away than it did two years ago. Many hold Washington at least partly responsible.
Two-thirds of non-homeowners (67%) say Trump’s policies have made it harder for them to buy a home, including 83% of Democrats and 29% of Republicans. Beyond the Trump administration, more than a third of non-homeowners (36%) blame government policies in general for the fact that they don’t own a home, rising to 47% of those who want to buy one right now.
When it comes to fixing the problem, 47% of non-homeowners say they trust the Democratic party more to address housing affordability, compared with 19% who say the Republican party, while 28% trust neither.
Which Party Do Non-Homeowners Trust More on Housing Affordability?
Nearly two-thirds (61%) feel less optimistic about affording a home than they did two years ago, and 65% say their rent or housing costs increased in the past year.
Among non-homeowners who want to buy, the biggest obstacles are home prices (58%), income that’s too low (51%), rent that’s too high to save (45%), and saving for a down payment (40%).
What’s Keeping Non-Homeowners From Buying?
More than 1 in 10 non-homeowners who want to buy (11%) say nothing would make buying a home affordable for them.
Housing Costs Have Kept 60% of Americans From Saving, Paying Off Debt, or Other Goals
Housing costs are forcing trade-offs that go well beyond the monthly payment. For many Americans, that means cutting back on groceries, skipping medical care, and putting savings on hold.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (60%) say housing costs have kept them from reaching financial goals or milestones, such as saving for emergencies (29%), saving for retirement (25%), paying off debt (24%), and spending money on home repairs or maintenance (23%).
More than three-quarters of millennials (79%) say housing costs have held them back, compared with 43% of boomers. Non-homeowners (77%) are also more likely than homeowners (54%) to say so.
About 59% of respondents say they’ve changed their spending behavior in the past year because of housing costs. The most common changes are cutting back on hobbies or entertainment (30%), cutting back on groceries (27%), taking on credit card debt (16%), and skipping or delaying medical care (14%).
About 1 in 10 have pulled from their retirement savings (13%), worked more hours (13%), or skipped meals (10%) because of housing costs. Non-homeowners are hit hardest, with 36% cutting back on groceries and 16% skipping meals to afford housing.
Among Americans who plan to vote, those who report that housing costs have held them back are twice as likely to say housing affordability is extremely important to their vote (40% vs. 18%).
Only 21% Support Building More High-Density Housing in Their Area
Americans want housing to cost less, but many don’t want more of it built near them. Even those who say the U.S. is in a housing crisis are reluctant to support new housing in their own communities, with the “not in my backyard” mindset running deepest among homeowners.
When asked which policies they’d support to improve housing affordability in their area, Americans favor reducing property taxes (60%), reducing home insurance costs (53%), and lowering mortgage rates (53%). Support for cutting property taxes is higher among Republicans (67%) than Democrats (53%).
Fewer than 1 in 3 Americans support adding housing in their area, including building more single-family homes (33%), increasing availability of government-owned affordable housing (22%), building more high-density housing (21%), and reducing regulations on home construction (17%).
Americans Want Cheaper Housing but Not More of It Nearby
Homeowners are the biggest holdouts. They’re twice as likely as non-homeowners to only support single-family homes or senior housing being built in their community (25% vs. 12%). About 14% of homeowners would support no new housing at all, compared with 9% of non-homeowners.
Meanwhile, non-homeowners are nearly twice as likely as homeowners to support new apartment buildings (47% vs. 25%).
What New Housing Would Homeowners and Non-Homeowners Support?
| Homeowners | Non-homeowners | |
|---|---|---|
| 🏢Support new apartment buildings | 25% | 47% |
| 🏡Only support single-family homes or senior housing | 25% | 12% |
| 🚫Support no new housing at all | 14% | 9% |
Other popular policies include restricting investors from buying homes (42%), tax incentives to build affordable homes (41%), down payment assistance for first-time buyers (38%), and lowering closing costs and real estate commissions (38%).
Renter protections also have broad support. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) back laws that make it more difficult for landlords to evict renters without cause, and 38% support capping rent increases. Support for rent caps climbs to 57% among non-homeowners.
Large corporations (61%) and foreign investors (60%) top the list of buyers Americans want restricted from purchasing homes, followed by companies that buy houses for cash (35%).
Americans agree the country is in a housing crisis. They just can’t agree on who caused it, who can fix it, or where new homes should go. That leaves the next Congress with a clear mandate to act but little agreement on how.
- 74% of Americans say the U.S. is in a housing crisis, including 88% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans.
- 63% feel angry about housing costs, rising to 78% of non-homeowners.
- 58% say current government policies are making housing affordability worse, while just 9% say they’re making it better.
- 63% don’t think the 2026 midterm elections will have a positive impact on the housing market.
- 85% of Americans who plan to vote say housing affordability is at least somewhat important when choosing candidates.
- 64% don’t know their congressional candidates’ positions on housing.
- 71% aren’t aware of the bipartisan housing affordability bill that became law in July 2026.
- Voters are just as likely to cite data center development and AI as an important issue as they are home prices (39% each).
- 54% of Americans feel financially worse off than they did two years ago.
- 36% say neither party has a clear plan to improve the economy, including 55% of independents.
- 49% expect housing affordability to get worse if Republicans keep control of Congress, compared with 31% if Democrats gain control.
- 33% of Republicans say Trump’s policies have made the housing market worse, compared with 92% of Democrats.
- 48% of Americans blame the Trump administration for the housing affordability crisis, compared with 23% who blame the Biden administration.
- 35% of Republicans blame immigrants for the housing affordability crisis, compared with 5% of Democrats.
- Republicans who struggle with housing payments are twice as likely as those who don’t to consider crossing party lines for a strong housing plan (54% vs. 27%).
- 58% of Americans couldn’t afford to buy a home today, including 47% of homeowners.
- Only 1 in 7 non-homeowners (14%) could afford to buy a home today.
- 60% say housing costs have kept them from reaching financial goals or milestones, such as saving for emergencies (29%) or retirement (25%).
- 27% have cut back on groceries because of housing costs, and 14% have skipped or delayed medical care.
- Only 21% of Americans support building more high-density housing in their area.
- 14% of homeowners don’t support building any more housing in their community.
- Homeowners are twice as likely as non-homeowners to only support single-family homes or senior housing in their community (25% vs. 12%).
- 61% want large corporations restricted from buying homes, and 60% want foreign investors restricted.
Methodology
Clever Real Estate surveyed 1,000 Americans on Sept. 3, 2026, about the housing market, the economy, and the 2026 midterm elections.
About Clever Real Estate
Clever Real Estate allows sellers to compare top-rated discount real estate brokers and low-commission real estate agents in their local area. Since 2017, Clever’s nationwide agent-matching service has connected more than 275,000 customers with agents and saved consumers more than $260 million on Realtor fees, earning a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating across more than 4,500 customer reviews. Clever’s library of educational content and data-driven research reaches over 12 million readers annually and has been featured in The New York Times, Business Insider, Inman, HousingWire, and many more.
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FAQs
Most Americans aren’t counting on the midterm elections to change much. According to a 2026 Clever Real Estate survey, 63% don’t think the elections will have a positive impact on the housing market. If Republicans keep control of Congress, 49% expect housing affordability to get worse, compared with 31% if Democrats gain control. About one-third expect no change either way.
Among Americans who plan to vote, 85% say housing affordability is at least somewhat important when choosing candidates, including 31% who say it’s extremely important. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (70%) say housing costs are a bigger issue in this election than they were in 2024. Still, home or rent prices (47%) rank behind inflation and cost of living (77%) and healthcare (63%) as important voting issues.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) say the U.S. is experiencing a housing crisis. Nearly half (48%) blame the Trump administration, followed by corporate and institutional investors (37%), mortgage lenders and banks (33%), and home builders and developers (33%). Blame splits by party: 71% of Democrats blame the Trump administration, while 45% of Republicans blame the Biden administration.
Americans most favor policies that lower housing costs, such as reducing property taxes (60%), reducing home insurance costs (53%), and lowering mortgage rates (53%). Far fewer support building more high-density housing in their area (21%) or reducing regulations on home construction (17%). Most also want limits on who can buy homes, including large corporations (61%) and foreign investors (60%).