April 22, 2005

Survey: One-third in region considering moving because of housing prices

Full report
Fully one-third of Capital Region residents are seriously thinking about relocating because of high housing costs, with most saying they would leave the state altogether, according to a new survey by researchers at Sacramento State. That's 8 percent higher than other surveys have found in California as a whole.

The survey found that even among the region's homeowners, 27 percent were considering a move because of housing costs. And among those 40 or younger, 43 percent were considering a move.

Among those planning to move, just 10 percent would relocate within the region, 19 percent would move outside the region and 65 percent would move out of the state.

The findings are from the fourth "Annual Survey of Public Opinion and Life Quality" in the Sacramento Region, conducted by Sacramento State sociology professor Amy Liu and more than 20 students. It covers El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties.

The survey also found that one-third of local residents hope to one day sell their home and buy another one within the region. Among those 40 or younger, 56 percent hope to do so.

As far as availability of affordable housing as a public policy issue, 48 percent of the region's residents say it is a big problem. That's lower than the state as a whole – a recent Public Policy Institute survey found 55 percent of Californians view affordable housing as a big problem. Researchers have asked the question locally for each of the last four surveys, and the percentage saying it is a big problem has remained about the same.

The survey included 1,002 randomly selected adults in the Capital Region who were interviewed from Feb. 15 to March 16. The margin or error is 3 percent.

The full report is available from the news release at www.csus.edu/news. Media assistance is available from Sacramento State Public Affairs at (916) 278-6156.

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