CNBC survey: Housing tops political issues for U.S. voters ages 18-34

According to CNBC, housing costs ranked as the top political issue for U.S. voters ages 18 to 34 in its All-America Economic Survey for the second quarter of 2026, ahead of food and protecting democracy. The poll of 1,000 registered voters, conducted July 8 to 12, found housing and healthcare tied as the fourth-most important issue overall, while housing was the top issue for male respondents ages 18 to 49 and the second-ranked issue for respondents ages 35 to 49. Forty-nine percent of renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing, according to a June Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies report, and 12.1 million of the 22.7 million such households paid more than half their income for housing. The survey found 38% of respondents said Democrats would do a better job on housing, compared with 32% for Republicans, and 49% preferred Democrats to control Congress after the midterms versus 45% for Republicans.