With the 2024 presidential election fast approaching, Realtor.com庐 conducted a survey to understand how local and national politics factor into where people choose to live. Roughly one-quarter (23%) of Americans say local and national politics influence their decision about where to live. Choosing where to call home can be a complex decision, as buyers look for the right home at the right price in the right place. Politics is one more important consideration for many buyers and renters as they evaluate where they feel comfortable putting down roots for the short or long term.听
Alignment with local and national political views
Roughly 4 in 10 Americans said that their political views align with the majority of people where they live.听
Interestingly, nearly twice as many (14%) said that their most recent move brought them to an area more aligned with their political views, compared with less aligned (8%).听
However, the vast majority said their most recent move brought no change in alignment. Moreover, nearly 1 in 5 Americans considered moving due to a lack of local political alignment. 听
More engaged voters seek more political alignment
Perhaps predictably, the more engaged a voter, the more politics influences their living choices. Roughly half of self-identified frequent voters feel politically aligned with people in their area. This is the case for just 30% of occasional voters and 18% of inactive voters.听
Frequent voters also place more importance on living in a place where people share their political views as roughly 1 in 3 find it extremely important, compared with 17% of occasional voters and 8% of inactive voters.
Liberal voters place more importance on politics
On the spectrum of political affiliations, liberal voters are slightly more likely to find politics important when choosing where to live. More generally, voters who cite any political affiliation are more likely to consider their area鈥檚 politics compared with moderates. About 1 in 3 (30%) of liberal voters say national politics are influential in choosing where to live, versus 27% of conservative voters and 18% of moderate voters.
Similarly, 34% of liberal voters find it important to live in an area where most people share the same political views, compared with 27% of conservatives and 15% of moderates. Liberal voters are also more likely to consider moving due to misaligned political views. Roughly 1 in 4 liberal voters considered moving because their political views don鈥檛 align with people where they live, compared with 17% of the overall population.
Politics鈥� influence on housing varies generationally
Millennial voters place the most importance on national and local politics when considering where to live. Many millennials are in the season of life where they are thinking more seriously about buying a home and putting down roots for the long haul. While Gen Z is perceived to be more politically active, the younger generation may not be particularly concerned with or tied to local political views in the same way.
One-third of millennials cite that their decision about where to live is highly influenced by national politics, versus 25% of Gen Z, 21% of Gen X, and just 16% of baby boomers.听
Similarly, about 1 in 3 (32%) of millennials said it was very or extremely important to live in a place where most people share their political views, compared with Gen X (23%), Gen Z (22%), and baby boomers (16%).听
Moreover, 28% of millennials, the most of any generation, have considered moving because their political views don鈥檛 align with the majority of people where they live, versus 20% of Gen Z, 14% of Gen X, and 10% of baby boomers.
Looking ahead
Mortgage rates have fallen from recent highs, and home prices continue to hover near year-ago levels. Buyers may be in a better position to buy in the coming months/year, and political outcomes could affect their choice to do so. Especially for first-time buyers, many of whom are millennials, politics might be top of mind as they consider purchasing a home.
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Methodology
This poll was conducted on Sept. 13鈥�14, 2024, among a national sample of 2,203 adults aged 18+. The survey was conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults in the U.S. based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the survey have a margin of error of +/- 2%.