Young voters have a clear message for Washington: fix the cost of housing.
A CNBC All-America Economic Survey of 1,000 registered voters found that people aged 18 to 34 now rank housing as their top political concern, beating out food prices and even protecting democracy. The survey was conducted July 8 through July 12, 2026, and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
It is not hard to see why.
On top of that, mortgage costs have been climbing because insurance and property taxes keep rising. For a lot of younger people, buying a home feels out of reach, and renting is eating up a bigger share of their paycheck every year.
Both parties know this is a winning issue - or a dangerous one to lose.
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When survey participants were asked which party they trusted more to handle housing, 38% chose Democrats and 32% chose Republicans. Of those who placed housing among their highest concerns, 53% believed the Democratic Party would handle it better than the GOP.
Democrats are leaning hard into that advantage. Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said: "Americans are struggling with rising rents, unaffordable home prices, and costly mortgage rates - all happening under Republican rule."
The Republican side argues the opposite. Mike Marinella of the National Republican Congressional Committee said: "Democrats have spent years fueling a housing crisis with their failed policies. Republicans have taken real action to build more homes, lower costs, and help more families achieve the American Dream."
In early July 2026, a bipartisan housing bill became law without President Trump's signature. Trump refused to sign it and called it a "big yawn." That move gave Democrats an opening to paint Republicans as uninterested in affordability.
Jay Campbell, a partner at the Democratic polling firm Hart Research that conducted the survey, compared housing to healthcare. "It was my contention and the contention of some other people that Democrats had a huge miss in 2024 by not talking more about healthcare," he said. "I think housing could be the healthcare of 2024, given especially the need for Democrats to turn young people out who are inclined to be anti-Trump and pro-democratic."
While housing leads the issue list, the broader economic mood is sour.
The survey found that 60% of respondents disapproved of President Trump's handling of the economy. On inflation and the cost of living, 68% disapproved. On the situation with Iran, 63% disapproved.
When asked which party they want to control Congress after the midterms, 49% said Democrats and 45% said Republicans. Forecasters broadly expect Democrats to reclaim control of the House, but gaining a Senate majority is seen as more challenging.
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