Let's Build Homes commissioned a statewide poll of Vermont voters earlier this month, and the results confirm what our coalition has long known: Vermonters across the political spectrum are ready for action on housing.

Vermonters are speaking with one voice. The housing shortage is not just one issue among many, it is the issue. Families are struggling, young people are being pushed out, and businesses can't find and keep workers. Communities across the state are feeling real pain.

The Legislature has taken meaningful pro-homes steps in recent years, but this data sends a clear signal from every corner of the state that the public doesn't think the work is done. With three-quarters of voters demanding urgent action, we should pull every lever we can to accelerate the building of new homes in and near our existing communities.

The Numbers Are Unambiguous

• 75% say it is extremely or pretty important for the legislature to take action on housing, including nearly half (47%) who say it is extremely important
• That urgency crosses party lines: 89% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, and 64% of Republicans agree
• Roughly three-quarters of voters across all age groups and every region say legislative action is needed
• When asked to name Vermont's most important issues — before any other housing questions were asked, 49% named housing as a top concern, outranking taxes (39%), healthcare costs (38%), and jobs (16%)
• 93% say the cost of renting or buying a home is a major or somewhat of a problem, including 68% who call it a major problem
• 89% agree there is simply not enough housing in Vermont that average people can afford

This Is Personal

These numbers aren't abstract. Housing costs are hitting Vermonters where it hurts most:

• 60% say high housing costs have negatively impacted their own ability — or the ability of someone in their community — to rent or buy a home
• 54% say housing costs have hurt their ability to save for retirement
• 50% say it has affected their ability to live in their desired neighborhood
• 49% say the housing crisis has made it harder to afford basic needs like groceries or medications

The crisis hits younger Vermonters and families with children especially hard:

• Among voters under 45, 60% rank housing as a top issue — nearly double the share naming healthcare costs
• 73% of voters under 45 say housing costs are a major problem
• Among parents of children under 18, 80% call housing costs a major problem

Vermonters Want More Homes — and They've Rejected the False Choices

By a three-to-one margin, voters say it is more important to build more housing for working Vermonters (76%) than to protect communities from change (21%).

Vermonters have also rejected the idea that building homes and protecting the environment are in conflict. Eight in ten (81%) believe Vermont can do both, by focusing growth in and near existing communities rather than in natural areas.

Vermonters understand that building more homes is essential to keeping our schools open, supporting local hospitals and businesses, and ensuring the next generation can afford to stay here.

What Comes Next

Let's Build Homes calls on state leaders to act decisively this legislative session. That means fixing the implementation challenges with Act 181, passing ROOT Zones to ensure rural communities are not left behind, and unlocking capital by extending the sales and use tax exemption for construction costs.

[Poll Memo] | [Full Poll Briefing]