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Nearly 1-in-4 Americans (23%) say local and national politics “highly influence” their decision where to live, according to a new survey from Realtor.com. For millennials specifically, that number is much larger with 33% of respondents from this generation saying that they determine their location by politics.
“While Gen Z is known for being very politically active, when it comes to making decisions about where to live, more millennials are likely to be in a phase of life where they are thinking about the type of community in which they want to buy a home and grow their roots,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com. “It makes sense that millennials, more than any other age group, think it is very important to live in a place in which most people share their political views.”
Overall, a little more than one-third (38%) of those surveyed said their political views align with the majority of the people where they live. When asked about their most recent move, about 14% of those surveyed said they moved to an area that was more aligned with their political views.
Generation vs. generation
The decision of where to live varies among the generations surveyed, which includes baby boomers (born roughly between 1946-1964), Generation X (born roughly between 1965-1980), Generation Y/millennials (born roughly between 1981-1996) and Generation Z (born roughly between 1997-2012).
One-third of millennials report that their decisions about where to live are highly influenced by national politics, compared to Generation Z (25%), Generation X (21%) and baby boomers (16%). When asked how important it is to live in a place where most people share their political views, 32% of millennials said it was very or extremely important, compared with Gen X (23%), Gen Z (22%) and baby boomers (16%).
In fact, 28% of millennials, the most of any generation, have considered moving because their political views don’t align with the majority of people where they live, as compared with smaller shares for Gen Z (20%), Gen X (14%) and baby boomers (10%).
Liberals vs. conservatives
When looking across political affiliations, those who identify as liberal are more likely to put importance on politics when making decisions about where to live and think it is more important to live in a place where most people share their political views.
About 30% of liberals say that national politics are influential in deciding where to live, compared to only 18% of moderates and 27% of conservatives.
Additionally 34% of liberals think it is extremely or very important to live in a place where most people share their political views compared to only 27% of conservatives and 15% of moderates.
While 17% of Americans broadly have considered moving because their political views do not align with those of the majority of people where they live, almost 1 in 4 (24%) liberals have considered doing so.
Frequent voters vs. inactive voters
Frequent voters are more likely to be influenced by politics in their decisions of where to live, and they are more likely to feel their views align with the majority of the people where they live. Nearly half (48%) of self-identified, frequent voters feel their political views align with the majority of people where they live, compared to 30% of occasional voters and 18% of inactive voters, according to the survey.
Frequent voters also place a greater importance on living in a place where most people share their political views: Nearly 1 in 3 frequent voters, or 31%, think it is very or extremely important, whereas only 17% of occasional voters and 8% of inactive voters think the same, according to the survey.
This report was previously published on Realtor.com.
Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing 5,000 Realtors and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term Realtor is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Politics may influence where you want to live but economics, weather, job and family are more likely to determine your location. I have been to every state but would never live in several due to weather and some due to politics but ultimately I chose climate and job to determine where I settled. I don’t like all the taxes here nor do I agree with all the politics but I definitely wouldn’t choose Texas and Florida and the deep South in large part due to weather and politics. I made my choice and don’t regret it.