42% of Americans Are Hesitant to Move to a Place Where They'd Be in the Political Minority, Up From 32% in June

Rhea-AI Summary

According to a recent survey by Redfin, 42% of U.S. residents are hesitant to move to areas where the political majority differs from their views, a rise from 32% in June. Conducted with over 3,000 respondents in October, the report highlights that concerns over political alignment are paramount but are often overshadowed by affordability and space. Additionally, 28% expressed hesitancy about relocating to areas with different racial or religious demographics, increasing from 20% earlier. The findings reflect current societal divides, especially as families seek better living conditions amidst the pandemic.

Positive

• Growing market trend towards moving from expensive blue counties to affordable red counties.
• Increased interest in affordability and space indicates potential for growth in suburban real estate.

Negative

• Rising hesitancy among residents to move to politically or culturally diverse areas may limit market fluidity.
• Potential impact of societal divisions on overall housing market stability.

SEATTLE, Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — Forty-two percent of U.S. residents would be hesitant to move to an area where most people have political views different from their own, up from 32% in June, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That's the highest share since 2017, when Redfin began posing this question to survey respondents.

This is according to a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. residents that Redfin conducted in October, a month before the 2020 presidential election. Redfin compared the results with findings of similar past surveys, the most recent of which Redfin conducted in late spring. The spring survey was launched on May 21, four days before George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, and ended on June 8, as racial justice protests were underway across the country.

"With political signs lining the front yards of homes across America, house hunters can't escape the political views of their prospective neighbors," said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. "While living among like-minded people is important to many homebuyers, key concerns like affordability and space are more likely to be the deciding factors in the homebuying process—especially as remote work gives families the freedom to leave dense, expensive cities in search of bigger homes and better value during the pandemic."

An October Redfin analysis found that more people moved from blue (Democratic-leaning) to red (Republican-leaning) counties than from red to blue counties in the spring, as families seeking affordability and space fled politically liberal areas.

When broken down by who respondents intend to vote for in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump and Joe Biden voters were equally as likely to express skepticism about moving to a place where they'd be in the political minority. Forty-five percent of participants who indicated that they plan to vote for Joe Biden and 45% of participants who indicated that they plan to vote for Donald Trump said that they would be hesitant to move to a place where most residents have different political views.

More than a quarter of Americans are hesitant to move to a place where they'd be in the racial, ethnic or religious minority

A smaller share of survey respondents—28%—said they would be hesitant to move to a place where most people are of a different race, ethnicity or religion. That's up from 20% in June.

When broken down by who respondents intend to vote for, Trump voters were most likely to express skepticism about relocating to an area where a majority of people look or pray differently. More than a third (36%) of survey participants who indicated that they plan to vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election said that they would be hesitant to move to a place where most residents are of a different race, ethnicity or religion. That compares with less than a quarter (23%) of participants who indicated that they plan to vote for Joe Biden.

When broken down by race, 29% of white respondents said they would be hesitant to move to a place where most residents are of a different race, ethnicity or religion. That compares with 26% of both Black and Hispanic respondents, and 23% of Asian participants, though the differences between races were not statistically significant.

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/moving-political-racial-diversity-survey/.

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered residential real estate company, redefining real estate in the consumer's favor in a commission-driven industry. We do this by integrating every step of the home buying and selling process and pairing our own agents with our own technology, creating a service that is faster, better and costs less. We offer brokerage, iBuying, mortgage, and title services, and we also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage search site, offering a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate. We represent people buying and selling homes in over 90 markets in the United States and Canada. Since our launch in 2006, we have saved our customers over $800 million and we've helped them buy or sell more than 235,000 homes worth more than $115 billion.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

 

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SOURCE Redfin

FAQ

What does the recent Redfin survey reveal about moving preferences in the U.S.?

The survey indicates that 42% of residents are hesitant to move to areas with differing political views, up from 32% in June.

How many Americans are hesitant to move due to political differences?

42% of U.S. residents expressed hesitance to move to politically diverse areas according to the new Redfin survey.

What percentage of respondents are hesitant to move to racially or religiously diverse neighborhoods?

28% of survey participants reported being hesitant to move to areas with different racial or religious demographics.

How does the political climate affect the housing market according to Redfin's report?

The report suggests an increasing trend where families move from blue to red counties in search of affordability and space.

When was the Redfin survey conducted and how many people participated?

The survey was conducted in October 2020 with over 3,000 U.S. residents participating.