For Immediate Release
March 16, 2026
Media Contact:
Cheryl Daniel, cheryl.daniel@abundanthousingma.org
Boston – A new poll by YouGov and commissioned by Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AHMA), a statewide pro-housing organization, found that voters across Massachusetts want legislators to take immediate action on housing, and they support building more homes to combat the state’s severe housing shortage.
Voters across demographics and throughout the state overwhelmingly said they want statewide legislative action to offset the increasing squeeze on housing. 84% of respondents said legislators should take action to address the housing shortage and cost of housing. When asked about tradeoffs between statewide and local government authority to expand housing, voters responded positively: 58% of respondents favored legislative candidates who prioritize expanding housing supply in Massachusetts over those who preserve local control to block new housing. This includes majorities across demographic groups: 57% of the state’s white respondents, 69% of Black respondents, and 61% of Hispanic respondents.
Not only do voters support pro-housing legislative candidates, but they also support key policies that would help unlock housing development, including building more duplexes, three-deckers and townhouses where single-family homes are already permitted; allowing owners the ability to divide their property into smaller lots; and lowering parking requirements for new housing units.
Statewide, 59% of voters said they support allowing for more multi-family housing options, such as duplexes, three-deckers, and townhouses wherever single-family homes are allowed; among voters 18-34 and 35-49, support climbed to 76% and 72% respectively. The results were felt in both urban and suburban communities, with 73% of urban dwellers supporting the move as well as 53% of suburban voters supporting it. Even among rural voters, almost half supported such development, with 47% of rural voters surveyed saying they would support more multi-family housing options.
YouGov surveyed 800 registered voters statewide in late February 2026 on housing-related questions. Overall, housing was the top issue facing the state according to voters, with 45% of voters saying it was the top issue for them, followed by several other cost of living issues. Voters across demographics and throughout regions of the state all ranked housing as a top issue. The cost and availability of housing as a concern drew more than double the amount of respondents citing it than immigration or taxes.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has recognized the importance of this issue to the state’s residents, and acted to improve access to housing including the Affordable Homes Act, including legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units by-right across the Commonwealth; establishing a technical advisory group to study taller single-stair residential buildings; and establishing the Unlocking Housing Production Commission, of which AHMA Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav was a member.
About Abundant Housing Massachusetts
Abundant Housing Massachusetts is a non-profit organization founded in 2020 to advocate for the creation of abundant housing for all and to develop and support a network of grassroots, pro-housing groups and activists across Massachusetts. AHMA is committed to fostering a movement that includes diverse voices, geography, and people with different lived experiences to help shape an inclusive statewide pro-housing network.