62% Say Troubled Homeowners Should Buy Cheaper Houses
The federal government Friday extended its deadline to apply to the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program, but most Americans believe troubled homeowners should sell their homes rather than receive government assistance to keep them.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 62% believe its better for homeowners who can’t afford to make increased mortgage payments to sell their homes and find less expensive ones. Twenty-five percent (25%) think it’s better for the government to assist those homeowners in making their payments. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
These results have changed little in surveys since late 2007. In May, 59% said troubled homeowners should sell their homes, while 24% favored the government stepping in.
Those who don’t own a home are more supportive of government intervention than those that do own one.
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on July 17-18, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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