New Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Say Housing Costs Won’t Fall Until Corporate Landlords Are Reined In, Most Skeptical Trump Will Deliver

February 2, 2026

New Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Say Housing Costs Won’t Fall Until Corporate Landlords Are Reined In, Most Skeptical Trump Will Deliver

Today, Groundwork Collaborative and Data for Progress released new polling showing nearly two thirds (64%) of Americans say the way to lower housing costs is to rein in corporate landlords and institutional investors. That support cuts across party lines, with 61% of Republicans and 62% of Independents in favor of taking action against corporate landlords and developers who jack up prices.

Voters want aggressive action on housing affordability, but most don’t trust President Trump to take on the powerful corporate interests they blame for rising costs. A majority (55%) believe that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are “not focused” on lowering housing costs. Even if Trump succeeded in banning corporate investors from buying single-family homes, three quarters of voters say the president still needs to do more to show he’s serious about bringing down costs. This aligns with widespread skepticism that Trump is not serious about addressing the cost of living.

The polling also shows overwhelming support for consumer-focused housing reforms proposed by Groundwork Collaborative, including a public platform to compare mortgage offers and increase transparency (81%), and portable mortgages that let homeowners keep their interest rates when they move (75%).

Groundwork Collaborative’s Senior Advisor for Economic Policy, Emily DiVito, reacted with the following statement:

“Americans don’t think the Trump Administration is serious about lowering their housing costs, and new polling from Groundwork Collaborative and Data for Progress shows why. Voters across parties understand that building more housing won’t lower prices if corporate landlords and private developers remain free to jack them up. And despite President Trump’s recent attempted populist pivot, voters don’t believe that he or Republicans in Congress are focused enough on lowering their housing costs to deliver results.”

Key findings include:

Voters don’t think Trump or the GOP are focused on lowering costs: Despite his populist posturing, a majority of voters (55%) believe that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are “not focused” on lowering the cost of housing for families. Only 17% of voters believe they are “very focused” on this issue.

Even if Trump delivers, most say he’ll need to do much more: If Trump does manage to pass his proposal to ban corporate investors from buying homes, only 18% of voters say it would mean he’s done enough to show he’s serious about bringing down costs. The overwhelming majority—75%—say he would still need to do “somewhat more” (35%) or “much more” (40%) to prove his commitment. Even Republicans say it wouldn’t be enough, with 42% saying he’d need to do somewhat more and 24% saying much more.

Voters across the political spectrum want to empower consumers and rein in corporate power: On an overwhelming, bipartisan basis, voters support a suite of housing reforms proposed by Groundwork Collaborative that shift leverage towards working families. This includes lowering mortgage insurance costs (83% support), creating a centralized public platform to compare mortgage offers and increase transparency (81% support), expanding access to portable mortgages that let homeowners keep their interest rate when purchasing a new home (75% support), and increasing access to assumable mortgages (72% support). Only 34% believe deregulation and cutting bureaucratic re-tape alone will get the job done.