For decades, conventional wisdom said Americans didn’t want affordable housing in their own communities. The not-in-my-backyard, or NIMBY, mindset was thought to be an immovable obstacle—support in theory, opposition in practice.
But new national survey data tells a very different story.
According to a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Built, a construction-finance technology company, 83% of Americans say they support affordable housing being built in their own neighborhoods. That finding runs counter to years of political assumptions and suggests a shift that could have real implications for household finances, community development, and the long-running national housing crisis.
Why This Matters Now
Housing affordability has become one of the defining financial challenges of our time. According to the US Census Bureau, roughly 21 million American households spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and millions more are locked out of homeownership altogether. Even middle-class families are struggling to keep up with high mortgage rates, escalating insurance premiums, and persistent supply shortages.
If you’re a renter or prospective homebuyer, the lack of available, affordable units drives up your costs. If you already own, housing scarcity still affects your neighborhood—through higher property taxes, longer commutes for essential workers, and diminished local services when teachers, nurses, or first responders can’t afford to live nearby.
The survey’s finding of broad public support signals that policy and market forces may finally align. If more Americans are open to affordable housing in their own backyards, the political and zoning obstacles that have slowed construction for decades may start to give way.
A Rare Bipartisan Consensus
One of the most surprising takeaways from the survey is how bipartisan the support is. Housing has long been a polarizing issue, with debates over rent control, zoning, and subsidies often breaking down along party lines.
Yet Built’s data shows consensus. Ninety-two percent of Democrats say they would support affordable housing in their neighborhoods. Eighty-three percent of Independents agree. And perhaps most striking, 74% of Republicans say yes as well.
That rare agreement suggests that Americans across the spectrum increasingly view housing affordability not as an ideological issue, but as a practical one tied directly to family finances and community stability.
Why Aren’t More Units Getting Built?
If public support is this broad—and Congress is advancing proposals like the Community Investment & Prosperity Act, the ROAD to Housing Act, and the Housing Affordability Act—the natural question is: why aren’t more units being built?
The answer is partly structural. Housing construction depends on a financing system that often lags behind demand. Developers struggle with lengthy approval processes, inconsistent zoning laws, and outdated infrastructure funding. Even when the political appetite exists, the financial machinery to actually deliver projects often doesn’t.
That may be changing. Private capital, new federal incentives, and local initiatives are beginning to accelerate. Cities from Atlanta to Minneapolis have eased restrictions to allow more multi-family units. States like California have mandated accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as a right. And bipartisan momentum in Washington signals that federal support may flow more consistently in the coming years.
For everyday families, that could translate into more housing options, less upward pressure on rents, and eventually, more accessible pathways to homeownership.
A Shift in Public Attitudes
For years, opponents of affordable housing often couched their arguments in terms of preserving property values, avoiding congestion, or maintaining neighborhood character. But the survey suggests that calculus is shifting.
With more Americans struggling to find affordable options, as noted in a McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility Report, resistance has softened. Most people know someone who has been priced out of the market, whether it’s adult children, aging parents, or essential workers. The pandemic underscored how much neighborhoods rely on proximity to service workers. When nurses, grocery clerks, or teachers can’t afford to live nearby, the whole community feels the impact.
Generational dynamics are also at play. Younger voters, who face steeper housing costs than their parents did, are more supportive of affordable development. Their growing political influence is reshaping local and national debates. At the same time, more homeowners are beginning to see affordable housing not as a threat but as a stabilizing force, ensuring that essential community members can stay and that local economies don’t collapse under the weight of scarcity.
The Surprising Preference
Perhaps the most counterintuitive detail from the survey is that affordable housing is more popular than apartments, townhomes, or even mobile homes. That suggests Americans don’t just tolerate the idea—they prefer it.
For policymakers, that may be the green light needed to prioritize affordable projects over more conventional developments. For families, it means the future of neighborhood growth may look different than expected.
What This Means for Families
If political and financial barriers continue to fall, more affordable units will enter the market. That could help stabilize rents and cool overheated home prices in some regions. With more projects gaining approval, expect to see affordable housing built closer to existing residential areas. The survey suggests neighbors may welcome it more than in years past. And with bipartisan support, proposals once dismissed as unrealistic now have a path forward.
Looking Ahead
America’s housing shortage is vast, and no single policy or project will solve it overnight. But the new survey data should challenge outdated assumptions. Most Americans no longer fit the NIMBY stereotype. They see affordable housing as a financial necessity and a community benefit.
That matters for investors weighing where to allocate capital, for policymakers drafting housing bills, and most importantly, for families deciding where—and how—they can afford to live.
As Chase Gilbert, CEO of Built, put it: “Affordability challenges have gone mainstream. More people are realizing affordable housing isn’t about charity—it’s about keeping the American dream within reach.”
For personal finance readers, the bottom line is clear: affordable housing may be coming to your neighborhood sooner than you think—and unlike in decades past, most of your neighbors may welcome it.