Poll Shows Attitudes Toward Bay Area Housing Strongly Influenced By Age

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Older voters who have lived in the Bay Area the longest and own their own home are less likely to want new housing built in their neighborhood than younger voters who rent and have lived in the area for a shorter time, according to poll results released Sunday.

The poll conducted for the Bay Area Council, an organization sponsored by businesses, showed that 70 percent of voters 18 to 39 years old support the construction of new housing in their neighborhood.

That's less than the 57 percent of voters 40 to 64 years old and a similar number of voters 65 years old and older who support new housing construction in their neighborhood.

Seventy-six percent of voters who have lived in the area five years or less and 75 percent who have lived in the area between six and ten years support new housing construction in their neighborhood.

That's more than the 55 percent who have lived in the Bay Area 20 years or more and support construction of new housing in their neighborhood.

"We're shutting the door on future generations -- sons, daughters, grandchildren," Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the council, said in a statement.

He said the housing supply needs to grow "dramatically."

While the poll showed generational differences in support for new housing, it also showed growing support among all voters.

This year, 62 percent said they support building new housing in their neighborhood, up from 56 percent in 2014.

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