Housing affordability has emerged as a major concern among Connecticut voters heading into November’s gubernatorial election, although a new poll suggests it is part of a broader anxiety over the cost of living.
Nearly 72% of registered voters said their household housing costs increased over the past year, according to a new Sacred Heart University/WFSB/CT Insider poll conducted by GreatBlue Research and released Wednesday.
The rising housing costs include rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners insurance and other related expenses.
The poll of 1,000 people was conducted digitally between July 21-26, before the state’s Aug. 11 gubernatorial primaries determined that two-term Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) would face each other in November.
The poll included a question for voters about their choice for governor. In a head-to-head race, 49.7% of respondents said they preferred Lamont, while 29.5% chose Fazio. Another 19.9% said they were undecided. The remaining 0.9% said they preferred another, unspecified candidate.
For housing, about 31% of respondents said their costs increased significantly, while 40.4% said they increased somewhat.
Meanwhile, 67.1% said housing affordability will be either one of the most important or a very important issue in determining their vote for governor.
Concern cuts across party lines. About 70% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans said housing affordability would be among their most or very important voting issues, as did nearly 64% of independents.
But voters were less unified about how state government should respond.
When asked what the next governor should prioritize if housing costs remain high, 39.2% chose reducing property taxes and other housing-related costs — more than twice the 18.4% who favored increasing the supply of affordable housing.
Another 12.5% favored expanding rental assistance and housing vouchers, while 8.8% said Connecticut should make it easier to build more housing statewide. Nearly 8% favored financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, while 7.2% prioritized preserving local control over housing development decisions.
The preferences varied by political affiliation and age. Democrats were nearly twice as likely as Republicans to favor increasing the supply of affordable housing, 21.9% to 11.1%, while Republicans were more likely to favor reducing property taxes and other housing costs.
Age also produced significant differences. Half of voters age 65 and older favored property tax and other housing-cost reductions, compared to about 26% of voters ages 18 to 34. Younger voters showed greater support for measures aimed at renters and first-time homebuyers.
“Connecticut voters agree that housing affordability is a major issue, but they don’t necessarily agree on the solutions,” said Gary Rose, a Sacred Heart professor of political science and global affairs.
The broader poll, however, indicates housing is just one component of a larger concern among voters about affordability. Asked to identify the single most important issue in the gubernatorial election, 29.4% of respondents selected cost of living and inflation, followed by taxes at 12.9%, electricity and energy costs at 10.8%, jobs and the economy at 10% ahead of housing affordability, at 9.6%.
Energy costs produced concerns similar to housing. About 77% of voters reported that their household energy costs had increased over the previous year, while 64% said energy costs would be among their most or very important considerations in deciding their vote for governor.
The poll also found broader financial unease: 38% of respondents said their personal financial situation had worsened over the past year, while 59% reported difficulty maintaining their standard of living. In addition, nearly 42% said Connecticut’s economy had worsened over the previous year, compared with 20% who said it had improved.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
