Americans largely consider it important to live in communities where people share their political views, though most have not considering moving somewhere based on politics, according to a survey released by realtor.com.
The survey – conducted ahead of next week’s presidential and congressional elections – found that younger Americans are more inclined to let political views drive where they live.
The survey found:
- 55 percent of Americans consider it important to live in a place with people who share their political views, while 23 percent it was “not very important” and the rest were indifferent.
- 61 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds considered it important, while 49 percent of those 55 and over considered it important.
- 20 percent of respondents said they had considered moving to a place where their political views were closer to the community’s majority, while 59 percent had not considered moving based on politics.
- 64 percent said that they would not move because they like where they live even if their presidential candidate does not win, while 36 percent said they would consider it or definitely consider it.
“It is likely that along with considering political alignment more important, younger people also have greater flexibility to move, especially in the early stages of their careers,” realtor.com senior economist George Ratiu wrote. “As people age and their life stage changes, schools, career stability and housing choices play a larger role, likely leading to a combination of both better alignment and less need for mobility.”