Press Release–New National Poll: Americans Still Want to be Homeowners

New National Poll: Americans Still Want to be Homeowners

Americans Back Government Support to Preserve 30-Year Mortgages

 

WASHINGTON – A new survey by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars finds that despite the bursting of the housing bubble, an overwhelming majority of Americans still feel that homeownership is both important to them and a part of the American Dream. A majority also said homeownership should be a national priority.

Despite the importance placed upon homeownership, however, more than 40% of respondents also said the federal government was too involved in developing policies to assist with homeownership. Only 29% of respondents favored the removal of the federal government from mortgage financing when they were informed that this would increase the cost of home loans and eliminate the availability of 30-year mortgages.

Respondents also had unfavorable views of mortgage institutions Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac.

To view or download a copy of the survey results in graph form, click here.

To view the survey results in full, click here.

Notes to Editors

1. This survey was conducted as part of a conference on that status of homeownership after the 2008 housing bubble burst and current American attitudes towards homeownership. Various stakeholders spoke about the housing market and consumer attitudes, including keynote presentations by Sen. Bob Corker, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, and Jim Millstein, former chief restructuring officer at the U.S. Treasury Department. For a full schedule of the day’s events and video of the keynote presentations, click here.
2. These key findings are based on telephone interviews with N=1,000 registered “likely” voters nationally. Responses to this survey were gathered May 13-15, 2012, and the confidence interval associated with a sample of this type is + 3.1%.
3. The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.

Contact: Drew Sample

Phone: (202) 691-4379

drew.sample@wilsoncenter.org

Posted by: PAGE staff

You are invited: Are we becoming a nation of renters?

The Program on America and the Global Economy and Comparative Urban Studies Program present:

Are We Becoming a Nation of Renters?

Three years after the 2008 financial crisis, America’s housing market still languishes and millions of families are losing their grip on “The American Dream.” Join us for an in-depth conference featuring policymakers, practicing mortgage capital experts, and academics to discuss the concrete steps forward to repairing and improving America’s mortgage finance system.

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Joseph and Clair Flom Auditorium, 6th floor, Wilson Center

RSVP, acceptances only: page@wilsoncenter.org

8:00 AM REGISTRATION

 

8:30 – 8:55 AM WELCOME and KEYNOTE

Hon. Bob Corker: U.S. Senator (R-TN); Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and

Consumer Protection

 

9:00 – 10:00 AM PANEL I: How did the mortgage finance pipes become clogged?

Joshua Rosner, Managing Director, Graham Fisher & Co.

Kerry Vandell, Dean’s Professor of Finance, University of California, Irvine

Michael Waldorf, Managing Director, Paulson & Co.

Moderator: Nick Timiraos – The Wall Street Journal

 

10:15 – 11:15 AM  PANEL II: How does the mortgage finance plumbing work today?

Anthony Sanders, Distinguished Professor of Real Estate Finance, George Mason University

Tomasz Piskorski, Edward S. Gordon Associate Professor of Real Estate, Columbia Business School

Mark Palim, Director of Economics, Fannie Mae

Moderator:  Vincent Fiorillo – DoubleLine Capital

 

11:20 – 11:50 AM FEATURED SPEAKER

Jim Millstein, Chairman, Millstein & Co. LLC; former Chief Restructuring Officer, U.S. Treasury Department

 

1:15 – 1:45 PM POLL RESULTS: Homeownership and The American Dream

Dave Sackett, Partner, The Tarrance Group

Discussant: Kent Hughes – Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

 

1:50 – 3:10 PM  PANEL III: Bringing out the plumber: restarting private mortgage financing

Andrew Davidson, President, Andrew Davidson & Co.

Alan Boyce, CEO, Absalon (a joint venture between VP SECURITIES and Soros Fund Management)

David Stevens, President and CEO, Mortgage Bankers Association

Lawrence Rufrano, Senior Supervisory Financial Analyst, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

Moderator: Chris Katopis – Association of Mortgage Investors

 

3:15 – 4:10 PM PANEL IV: Where’s the consumer in all of this?

Andrew Jakabovics, Senior Director, Policy Development and Research, Enterprise Community Partners

Janneke Ratcliffe, Executive Director, Center for Community Capital, University of North Carolina

Anthony Hutchinson, Senior Policy Representative, National Association of Realtors

Moderator: Blair Ruble – Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

 

 

4:15 – 5:30 PM RECEPTION

Save the Date: Are we becoming a nation of renters?

The Program on America and the Global Economy Presents:

 Are We Becoming a Nation of Renters?

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012

8:00 am – Breakfast and Registration

1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004

RSVP: page@wilsoncenter.org

Featuring:

• Senator Bob Corker, Tennessee
• David Stevens, President and CEO, Mortgage Bankers Association; former Commissioner, Federal Housing Administration
• Jim Millstein, Chairman, Millstein & Co.; former Chief Restructuring Officer, U.S. Treasury Department
• Nick Timiraos, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
• Presentation of New National Poll Results: “Housing and the American Dream” by The Tarrance Group

For additional details click here.