American dream of owning a home is dead, majority of renters say
Exclusive: most renters surveyed by Harris Poll say the areas they live in have become so unaffordable they are ‘barely livable’
www.theguardian.com
The American dream of owning your own home is dead, according to the majority of renters surveyed in a new poll shared exclusively with the Guardian, and the areas they live in have become so unaffordable they are "barely livable".
The poll, conducted by the Harris Poll Thought Leadership and Future Practice, asked survey takers to identify themselves as renters or homeowners, along with other demographic information. Those polled were asked their opinion on home ownership in the United States. For many, especially renters, the outlook is bleak.
Though the vast majority of renters polled said they want to own a home in the future, 61% said they are worried they will never be able to. A similar percentage believe no matter how hard they work, they'll never be able to afford a home.
"When you think about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and housing is right at that foundational level of security, the implications on consumer psyche when things feel so unaffordable is something that will impact everyone," said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at Harris Poll. The American dream of owning a home "is looking more like a daydream for renters".
No surprise there.
People who have no hope for the future are easier to convince to give up rights. It's been a problem throughout history when a populace loses hope.
Pretty clear where we're currently going......That “majority of renters” is buying (no pun intended) into the “you’ll own nothing and be happy” mantra.
