Majority of Americans Prefer Larger Homes and Longer Trips, Survey Says

The majority of Americans would prefer to live in communities with larger houses, located farther away from schools, stores, and restaurants, according to the latest edition of a Pew Research Center survey, conducted from March 27 to April 2, 2023.

“A majority of Americans (57%) say they would prefer to live in a community where ‘houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away,’” explains Ted Van Green in an article sharing the findings of the survey. “About four-in-ten (42%) would prefer a community where ‘houses are smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance.’

The share of Americans preferring larger houses and longer trips has dipped since the last survey, conducted in July 2021, when 60 percent of Americans stated this preference. “Public preferences were more evenly divided on this question in fall 2019, a few months before the coronavirus outbreak,” when the question polled at 53 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

The survey also produces obvious distinctions in preference along political lines, with 72 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners favoring larger houses and longer trips, and only 43 percent of Democrats and Democrat leaners preferring this arrangement.

Additional disaggregation by age, education, race and ethnicity, and ideology are detailed at the source article below.