Housing affordability may be one of the few issues where Republicans and Democrats increasingly agree.
A new survey commissioned by Redfin and conducted by Ipsos found overwhelming bipartisan support for government policies aimed at making homeownership more attainable, with large majorities in both parties backing first-time homebuyer tax breaks, down payment assistance, and other affordability initiatives.
The findings arrive at a pivotal moment for federal housing policy. President Trump recently postponed action on the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which seeks to increase housing supply, streamline development, and expand access to homeownership. Even as the legislation's future remains uncertain, the survey suggests many of its underlying affordability proposals continue to enjoy broad bipartisan support.
Among the survey's findings:
- 79% support first-time homebuyer tax breaks.
- 77% support policies to make homes more affordable.
- 76% support caps on rent increases.
- 75% support building more homes for low-income families.
- 74% support down payment assistance programs.
- 54% support making it easier to build homes in their own communities.
While Democrats expressed stronger support overall, the partisan gap was relatively narrow on many issues.
Eighty-five percent of Democrats support first-time buyer tax breaks, compared with 77% of Republicans. Similarly, 83% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans favor policies designed to make homes more affordable.
Perhaps more notable, 57% of both Democrats and Republicans said they support policies that make it easier to build homes in their communities — a finding that suggests growing public acceptance of efforts to address housing shortages through increased supply.
"For over a decade, the prevailing view was that housing was a local issue best left to city councils and mayors—but housing affordability has become a national crisis," said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. "By passing this bill out of the Senate Banking Committee 24-0, Republicans and Democrats alike showed that affordability is a priority."
Fairweather added that measures such as zoning reform and streamlined permitting demonstrate that government can improve affordability without relying solely on increased federal spending.
One provision highlighted by Redfin would expand access to manufactured housing by simplifying certain federal regulations. Support for that type of supply-side approach also appeared in the survey, with 85% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans favoring initiatives to build more homes for low-income families.
For mortgage lenders, the survey may be less important as a snapshot of public opinion than as an indicator of where housing policy is headed. The strongest support was for measures that could directly influence purchase activity — including first-time buyer tax incentives, down payment assistance, and efforts to increase housing supply. While the fate of the ROAD to Housing Act is now uncertain following Trump's decision to delay signing it, the bipartisan support reflected in the survey suggests affordability is likely to remain a central issue for lawmakers regardless of how that legislation ultimately unfolds.
The survey, conducted in May 2026, included responses from 4,000 U.S. residents nationwide.
