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RICHMOND, Va. — A new poll released yesterday by the Commonwealth Housing Coalition finds that Virginia voters see housing costs as the state’s top problem — and they want lawmakers to create bold solutions.
The poll, conducted by YouGov alongside Freedom Virginia and Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), found broad bipartisan support for policies that would make it easier and more affordable to build housing of all types. Respondents ranked housing as their top priority issue — edging out inflation and placing higher than education, healthcare, and jobs. Fully 84% of those surveyed say they want state lawmakers to act in the upcoming 2026 session.
Other key findings include:
- The survey asked about ten proposed housing policy reforms and found at least 65% support for each one with fewer than 25% of respondents in opposition.
- The largest majorities (65-79%) of Virginia voters surveyed said they support policies that would make it easy to build more and smaller types of homes, reduce regulatory requirements on new housing, require local governments to streamline home construction in Virginia, empower faith congregations to build affordable housing on land they own, and support local laws against severe rent hikes.
- The poll reveals strong support for state-level mandates, with respondents preferring state action over local efforts by a 2-to-1 margin.
- Concerns over housing costs were not limited to urban or suburban areas, with more than half of rural Virginians describing housing costs as a “major problem.”
- Overall, 73% of Virginians surveyed agreed that the state lacks enough homes people can afford to rent or buy.
“Regular people are demanding big, bold actions from state candidates to build more homes and make housing more affordable,” said Ryan O’Toole, co-executive director at Freedom Virginia, one of the organizations in the Commonwealth Housing Coalition that commissioned the study. “This survey makes clear that voters will stand behind legislators who champion making our economy more just, so hardworking people can afford to live where they want.”
“These results make clear that Virginians want state lawmakers to lower housing costs,” said Laura Dobbs, Director of Policy for Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME of VA), another organization in the coalition. “Virginia voters are ready to support lawmakers who champion policies that make housing more affordable and accessible. If legislators stand up for housing solutions, they can count on having constituents behind them.”
The poll emphasizes that decisive action to rein in costs is what Virginia voters want most, and it finds bipartisan majorities in support of innovative solutions, including:
- allowing homes to be built on smaller lots;
- empowering faith congregations to build affordable housing on land they own;
- fighting price gouging on rent by limiting rent increases year-to-year;
- and permitting backyard homes (also known as accessory dwelling units or ADUs) by-right.
YouGov conducted the poll for the Commonwealth Housing Coalition between July 11-29, 2025, among a sample of 1,309 Virginia voters. The survey was conducted online. Results have a margin of error ±3.3 percentage points. Read the poll memo at this link.
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