Why Voters Haven’t Been Buying the Case for Building

Abstract

This survey perfectly captures the bind that elected officials across the U.S. find themselves in these days.

A new breed of YIMBY (Yes, in My Back Yard) activism and academic analysis have together helped big city governments take the first lumbering steps toward higher rates of housing production.

We are building more than we have in years.

But for the most part, the average voter remains highly sceptical that market-rate real estate development can make a positive difference.

If you are in the group that finds the need to build more to be intuitively obvious, you may be more than a little put out by the LA Times survey results.

You may be tempted to wonder why so many people refuse to believe that supply and demand will work the way it works in Econ 101?