Housing and Homelessness Are Major Issues for Arizona Voters; Strong Desire for State and Local Government to Do More

The 2024 Arizona Voters’ Agenda reveals voters want elected leaders to do more to deliver solutions

inbusinessPHX.com

Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA)– a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a mission to bring Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for the state– unveiled new survey data on housing from its 2024 Arizona Voters’ Agenda. The findings reflect the views of likely Republican, Democratic, and independent/unaffiliated voters of all ages and highlight widespread concern about housing issues, including a call for more action at state and local levels.

As Arizona continues to grow faster than much of the country, housing affordability and accessibility have become critical issues. The Arizona Voters’ Agenda survey findings show a significant 71% of voters view homelessness as either a “serious issue” or “crisis,” with 84% finding rental prices and 80% finding home prices “too high.” These concerns are shared broadly across political affiliations, emphasizing the universal urgency of these issues.

“Arizonans throughout the entire state, across urban and rural areas, are deeply concerned about housing,” said Dr. Sybil Francis, Chair, President & CEO of CFA. “The data from this survey also unequivocally show that voters see the need for more strategic planning on the part of leaders to anticipate and support our state’s needs as it grows, and housing is an important piece of that required planning.”

Paul Bentz, Senior Vice President of Research & Strategy at HighGround, which conducted the survey, noted, “The impact of housing costs now reaches a broader swath of our community. There’s a strong call from voters across the political spectrum to encourage our leaders to work together to find reasonable and tangible solutions.”

The survey findings show that more than three-quarters (78%) of all Arizona voters, including 70% Republicans, 78% independent/unaffiliated voters, and 89% Democrats, believe more housing that is affordable is needed in their own communities.

Regarding how to address housing affordability and accessibility, the vast majority of voters believe their state and local government must do more: 82% of all voters say, “State and local government must do more to ensure that housing options are affordable and available to middle and low-income earners throughout the state.”