Constituent Survey Says Voters Want Leaders to Lower Housing Costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2026

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Constituent Survey Says Voters Want Leaders to Lower Housing Costs

Governor Whitmer renews call on the legislature to pass commonsense housing reforms

LANSING, Mich. -- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the results from a survey of over 1,700 constituents on housing. Michiganders acknowledge positive progress to address the housing crisis but urged further action. 91% say high housing costs and low availability are preventing young people and families from buying their first home in Michigan. 82% of respondents say it is important for state government leaders to take action to make housing more affordable and attainable.

"Every Michigander deserves an affordable place to call home," said Governor Whitmer. "I'm proud of our work to build and renovate 90,000 affordable homes across Michigan and help more families achieve the American dream of homeownership, but we know there's more to do. This survey shows that the vast majority of Michiganders say they pay too much for housing and want action to lower the cost of living. That's why I released the Build, Baby, Build plan to enact a state level affordable housing tax credit to incentivize more building and demolish nonsensical zoning and construction requirements so more shovels can hit dirt. Let's Build, Baby, Build so more Michigan families can live, work, and thrive right here in Michigan."

Since Governor Whitmer took office, Michigan has built and renovated over 90,000 homes and made historic investments to help Michiganders afford their first home. The state still faces a shortage of over 119,000 homes. But even with these actions, the state faces an over 119,000 housing unit shortfall and Michiganders face high costs.

That's why, in her 2026 State of the State, the governor called on the legislature to take commonsense, bipartisan action to lower housing costs and build more supply. The governor called on the legislature to adopt a state-level affordable housing tax credit to incentivize construction of affordable housing for working class families and to adopt Housing Ready policies that demolish nonsensical construction requirements and regulations to build more diverse housing options for all families.

Governor Whitmer is committed to working with anyone to improve our communities and to help more families "Make it in Michigan."

Housing Survey Results

Hundreds of Michiganders shared stories about how rising housing costs are affecting nearly every part of their life, from monthly budgets to delaying major life and family plans. These Michiganders want solutions and voiced strong support for efforts to make it faster and easier to build housing in Michigan.

Housing Costs are Rising

• Over 80% said housing in their community is unaffordable, with nearly 50% saying housing is very unaffordable.

• 73% say their housing costs have increased in the past two years.

• 60% say they pay too much for housing.

Housing Costs are Affecting Futures

• 91% say high housing costs and low availability are preventing too many young people and families from buying their first home in Michigan.

• Nearly 50% said that housing challenges have caused them to consider leaving their community.

Buying a Home is Too Hard

• Only 11% who are in the market to buy their first home said they could comfortably afford the current average monthly cost for a "starter home" in Michigan.

• Survey respondents who bought or rented a home in past two years said the top challenges they faced were:

• High prices

• Lack of available homes

• Lack of options for homes

• 35% of survey respondents who tried to buy or rent a home in the past two years gave up their search altogether, with over 35% saying they paid above asking price, made multiple offers before success, or settled for a home that didn't meet their needs.

Michiganders Support Making it Easier to Build More Housing

• Over half (55%) say it is currently too difficult to build new housing in their community.

• Over 74% support making it faster and easier to build housing in Michigan.

• The top 2 solutions survey respondents chose:

• Making it easier to build more housing of all types, including streamlining regulatory approvals.

• Offering incentives for affordable housing development

• 82% say it is important for state government leaders to take action to make housing more affordable and attainable.

Build, Baby, Build!

Since taking office, the Whitmer Administration has:

• Secured the largest investments to build housing in Michigan history two years in a row and expanded financing options for housing development.

• Closed the housing gap by 44% and kept Michigan's homeownership rate higher than the national average at almost 75%.

• Released the first Statewide Housing Plan, outlining goals and strategies to tackle the crisis.

• Leveraged billions in state bonding authority and federal funds to build more housing.

• Launched innovative new financing programs like the Housing Accelerator Fund and created new options for local housing development like Transformational Brownfields, local land bank authorities, and tax increment financing.

• Secured record, sustainable funds for community revitalization and placemaking projects that build housing and make downtowns and main streets safer and more fun.

• Helped more than 6,000 Michiganders buy their homes with down-payment assistance, setting a new record.

• And more.

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