Gallup: 59% of Americans on Housing Aid: Unfair but Necessary

[FrenchieCat]

PRINCETON, NJ -- By 51% to 46%, Americans are more likely to say that government aid to help certain homeowners who cannot pay their mortgages is "unfair" rather than "fair." At the same time, 59% of Americans say such government aid is necessary to stabilize the U.S. housing market.



snip-
While many Americans see the government's mortgage plan as "unfair" -- perhaps feeling that making mortgage payments is an individual's responsibility, and tax dollars shouldn't be used to help those who cannot make their payments -- a solid majority see such mortgage assistance as necessary. Additionally, most see President Obama's proposals as not doing any harm to the housing market -- 60% believe these efforts to reduce home foreclosures will make the housing market a little (54%) or a lot (6%) better, 21% say it will make no difference, and only 15% think it will make things worse.

snip-
Although Americans feel that the provision of government aid for some distressed homeowners is unfair, a separate question in the poll found, at a general level, that 64% of Americans favor "giving aid to homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure." While both ways of framing the issue may help keep people in their homes, mortgage aid seems a lot less "fair" than aid to help people avoid foreclosure.

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,013 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 20-22, 2009. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).
http://www.gallup.com/poll/116101/Americans-Housing-Aid-Unfair-Necessary.aspx

[Hippo_Tron]

1. Fairness is relative and a stupid consideration when making policy

59% of Americans get it, regardless of their views on fairness.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Well, I would assume that Homeowners in the poll understand best, and

have seen their own home values plunge. So for sure, most of those folks "should" understand that foreclosures are effecting their prop values and understand what "Underwater" truly means.

[Skip Intro]

2. It's good to know that 2/3's of the people in this country favor helping instead of punishing.

This poll seems to reveal a strong sense of compassion from a majority toward all.

I wish they would have asked if it would be fair to use taxpayer money to find the already homeless shelter. I wonder what that number would have been.

[leftstreet]

3. Sadly, I think the answer would have been no

Just a hunch, but this is probably a case of the 'middle class' supporting the 'middle class' based on self-identification.

I could be wrong though.

[FrenchieCat]

5. I agree.

[izquierdista]

6. Real Estate as "free market"

If it was a "free market", you wouldn't have to list your house with a broker to find a buyer.
If it was a "free market", you wouldn't have to wait months to find that buyer.
If it was a "free market", you wouldn't have to wait more months for that buyer to get a mortgage and close on the transaction.

Any people wonder why the gubmint has to step in after "free market" capitalists make a mess out of things.