MassBenchmarks

This report presents the results of the third annual housing poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute in collaboration with the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA). The poll explores the housing needs of Massachusetts residents, as well as the views of residents on housing policies and programs at the state and local level. The 2006 Housing Poll continues many of the same questions contained in the previous polls and, whenever possible, compares the results of the 2006, 2005 and 2004 polls.

Each year, the housing poll has highlighted the needs and opinions of residents in a particular region of the state through a poll of its residents. In 2006, the UMass Donahue Institute and CHAPA have focused particular attention on Cape Cod and the Islands. The poll, which surveyed the views of 515 residents statewide and 401 residents in the Cape, was conducted from late November to mid-December 2006. Respondents were interviewed by telephone through a standard process of random-digit dialing. A full explanation of the poll methodology can be found at the end of the report.

The following analysis of the 2006 Housing Poll consists of an executive summary of the survey findings, followed by a breakdown of results into three sections: Section I analyzes housing needs and concerns uncovered in the 2006 statewide poll with comparisons to 2004 and 2005 statewide results; Section II examines attitudes toward affordable housing and particular policy solutions that seek to address the housing concerns raised in the first section; and Section III presents the findings of the 2006 Cape Cod Housing Poll. The report concludes with a presentation of the poll methodology and an appendix containing the full poll results.