New Poll Shows Support for Modifying MID and Using Revenue Raised to End Homelessness

A new national poll conducted for NLIHC by Belden Russonello Strategists LLC (BRS) affirms previous findings that while most Americans continue to think the mortgage interest deduction is a good idea, a majority support making modifications that will expand tax breaks to low and moderate income homeowners. Seventy-nine percent of respondents who answered the MID questions think the current MID is a good or very good idea, but 60% favor lowering the cap to $500,000 and 61% favor converting the deduction to a tax credit. This is consistent with the results from the poll BRS conducted for NLIHC in August 2012. The poll shows widespread concern about homelessness, with 89% reporting they think homelessness is a very or somewhat serious problem in the U.S and 74% who think we are not doing enough to end homelessness. Wide majorities support housing solutions to end homelessness, with 76% favoring adding more affordable housing in their state to help end homelessness, 75% favoring federal funding to build or rehabilitate homes that low income people can afford, and 67% favoring expanding federal rent assistance for low income families. Respondents were asked what they would do with the revenue raised by the two proposed changes to the MID and were given three options from which to choose: reduce the deficit, fund affordable housing to end homelessness, or both. Twenty-six percent would use the new revenue to reduce the deficit only and 15% would fund affordable housing only; 53% would do both. Thus, over two-thirds (68%) of Americans would direct at least some of the revenue raised from MID reform to fund affordable housing to end homelessness. The national poll of 802 adults was conducted by BRS between February 27 and March 9, 2013; the sampling margin of error is ± 3.5 percentage points.Click here to learn more about the results of the poll.