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Renter SurveyAnnual

SEPTEMBER 2017

Foreword

According to a recent study , more than one third of all Americans rent their home, the highest 1

percentage in more than 50 years. The number of renters in the United States now tops more

than 110 million . At the same time, rent is the largest expense every month for most people (in 2

fact, for 82% of those Zumper surveyed).

Because renting has such a high impact on Americans’ wallets and day-to-day lives, Zumper

conducts an annual survey to better understand the characteristics, perspectives and behaviors

of renters in the United States.

Zumper was founded to redesign the rental market for the 21st century. Renters should be able

to see the best apartments in a single place, not get scammed, know the price upfront, and

lease the second they’re ready. Tools such as accurate local rental market data, up-to-date

listings, more accurate search and alerts, and personalized help from our team empowers the

renter in one of the most important decisions in their lives: where to live.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/07/19/more-u-s-households-are-renting-than-at-any-1

point-in-50-years/

http://www.nmhc.org/Content.aspx?id=47082

Key Findings 1

Methodology 3

Full Results 4

Rent vs. Own 4

View of Homeownership as an Investment 6

Factors in Deciding to Rent vs. Own 7

Social Influence on Home Ownership Goals 7

Saving to Buy 9

Current Living Situation and Preferences 12

Location and Home Satisfaction 13

Relocation 17

How People Search for a Home 20

Personal Finance Perspectives 21

The American Dream, Economic and Political Outlook 24

Appendix I: Demographics 27

Age 27

Gender Identity 27

Ethnicity 27

Education 27

Employment 27

Key Findings

Zumper’s 2017 survey of U.S. renters revealed a number of key insights into both the typical

renter’s current living situation as well as their aspirations and levels of satisfaction on various

topics.

● One in five people (21% of those surveyed) do not plan to purchase a home in the future.

While the vast majority of respondents currently rent their home, only 79% of all

respondents want to buy in the future. This is a significant difference from last year’s

survey results, where 90% of respondents reported they planned to buy a home in the

future, and just 10% did not.

● Respondents generally agree that homeownership is an excellent investment, though

not overwhelmingly so, giving it a 3.76 average rating (on a scale of 1-5 disagree to agree

scale). Notably, women agreed more strongly than men, non-binary/third gender or self-

describing respondents.

● In their last decision to rent vs. own, finance related reasons were the most common.

The top specific factors considered by roughly half of all respondents are mortgage

rates/credit (55%), cost differential (52%), and costs of home repair/maintenance (46%).

● Respondents are more likely to plan on buying a home if their parents are homeowners

however the opposite seems to be true with friends and colleagues. Respondents with a

minority of friends as homeowners are the most likely to plan to buy a home in the

future.

● Though 79% of all respondents plan to buy a home in the future, almost half of all

respondents (40%) are not currently saving any money at all out of their monthly income

for a down payment. 19% are saving more than $400 monthly. Men are also saving more

at a higher rate than women. Additionally, among those who plan to buy a home, 38% of

all people have saved nothing to date for a down payment.

1

● People who live in cities are more likely to enjoy the current city/town they live in than

those who reside in smaller towns or rural areas. On average, women are less satisfied

with their current city/town, neighborhood, and apartment/home than men.

● The three most important factors considered when selecting a place to live are:

Affordability (81%), Neighborhood Safety (69%) and Commute (66%).

● The main reason respondents moved to their current home was related to work (36%).

More men moved for job-related reasons more than women did: 45% vs. 31%.

● Rent is the largest expense every month for 82% of those surveyed.

● When asked what percentage of income respondents thought they should spend in rent,

the median answer was 25%. When we compared the actual percentage of income

spent on rent, 54% of those surveyed are paying more than what they think they should

pay.

● Technology’s role is becoming irreplaceable in real estate: 84% of all respondents said

they would use online platforms for future moves, as opposed to to traditional real estate

companies/agents (10%) and referrals (6%).

● Roughly one in three respondents do not believe the American Dream involves

homeownership. Unexpectedly, 66% who claimed that American Dream does not

involve homeownership still plan to buy a home in the future.

● More than half of respondents (51%) are pessimistic about the current state of the

economy, compared to 37% optimistic. People are even more pessimistic about where

the economy is headed: 56% pessimistic and 30% optimistic . Additionally, men are

more optimistic: 40% of men are optimistic compared to 26% of women. Notably, the

differences in the optimism/pessimism about where the economy is heading did not

affect respondents’ plans to buy a home in the future.

2

Methodology

14,284 respondents from all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C. completed the full survey

consisting of 60 questions. The survey was sent to Zumper and PadMapper respondents based

in the United States and shared among their family/friends. All responses were gathered online.

There are a number of other surveys designed to gather similar data, most notably the

American Housing Survey, which is gathered by the Census Bureau. We acknowledge that our

data and findings may be impacted by various biases due to the differences between our user

base, usually younger with a higher concentration in cities, and other similar surveys, and the

income related biases involved by offering the opportunity to win the survey’s prize, equal to

$1000. To help mitigate potential biases in sampling, we strived for the highest possible number

of respondents and encouraged sharing to capture as much and as diverse data as possible.

Based on responses from 14,284 people who took this year’s survey, we found that the typical

respondent:

○ Has a median age of 30 years old

○ Identifies as female (62%)

○ Has at least some higher education (88%)

○ Is employed (83%) in an office/business establishment (81%)

○ Has a median current annual income of $48,000, and a median monthly rent or

mortgage payment of $1,195

○ Rents their current home/apartment (88%)

Additional demographic details of respondents is included in Appendix I.

3

Full Results

Rent vs. Own

88% of respondents currently rent their home, as opposed to 7% who own (5% answered other,

which could include living with relatives, for example).

While the vast majority of respondents currently rent, only 79% of all respondents want to buy in

the future. One in five (or 21%) do not plan to purchase a home in the future. This is a significant

difference from last year’s survey results, where 90% of respondents reported they planned to

buy a home, and just 10% did not.

These numbers do not change drastically when comparing respondents’ housing situation

currently against their future plans. 79% of current renters and 75% of current owners plan to

buy a home in the future.

Interestingly, 16% of current renters have owned their home before. 70% of those who owned a

home previously plan to buy again.

Rent/Own Currently and Plans to Buy in Future

Currently owns Currently rents

Plans to buy a home 75.28% 79.2%

Doesn’t plan to buy a home 24.72% 20.8%

4

Broken down by age, as people get older, they are more likely to own their current home. It is

noteworthy, however, likely due to the sample polled, even respondents older than 65 years old

are primarily renting.

Notably, future plans to buy a home also differ between age groups. While more than 80% of

Millennials (defined here as 18-24 and 25-36 year olds) plan to buy a home in the future, this

number dropped significantly as people aged.

Age Groups Who Plan To Buy

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65 and older TOTAL

21%

73%

39%22%15%13%

79%

27%

61%78%85%87%

Yes No

5

Age Groups Who Own vs. Rent

10%20%

30%40%

50%60%

70%80%

90%100%

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65 and older TOTAL

93%80%88%93%95%94%

7%20%12%7%5%6%

Own Rent

View of Homeownership as an Investment

On average, respondents only slightly agree with the statement that Homeownership is an

excellent investment. On a scale 1 to 5 (one being not at all, five being completely agree),

respondents’ average score was 3.76 for “Homeownership is an excellent investment.” Only

2.9% of respondents do not agree with it at all, while 29.3% completely agree.

Broken down by age, 25-36 year olds are the only group that agree less strongly than the overall

average, at 3.7. 18-24 year olds and everyone 37 and over feel even more strongly than the

overall average that homeownership is a good investment.

More notably, women agreed more strongly than men and non-binary/third gender respondents

that homeownership is a good investment.

View of Homeownership as a Good Investment, by Age

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65+ TOTAL

Agreement (on a

scale from 1 to 5)

3.79 3.70 3.82 3.89 3.86 3.76

View of Homeownership as a Good Investment, by Gender Identity

Female MaleNon-binary/

third gender

Prefer not to

say

Prefer to self-

describeTOTAL

Agreement

(on a scale

from 1 to 5)

3.83 3.68 3.18 3.49 3.33 3.76

6

Factors in Deciding to Rent vs. Own

Of the respondents who plan to buy a home but haven’t yet, two thirds (66%) said the main

reason was financial, followed by 23% who stated it was because they are not ready to settle

down/haven’t decided which city to live yet. Only 6% stated it is because they are waiting to

start a family, and 5% said it is job-related.

Breaking it down further, the top specific factors considered in deciding whether to rent or own

were also primarily finance related: Mortgage Rates/Credit (55%), Cost Differential (52%), Home

Repair/Maintenance Cost (46%), Moving Flexibility (37%), Investment Strategy (32%), and Taxes

(31%). Family Size (25%) and Ability to Paint or Remodel (18%) are least considered.

Social Influence on Home Ownership Goals

Whether family and friends own or rent their homes has an impact on respondents future plans.

Overall, 72% of all respondents indicated their parents own their home. 45% of all respondents

answered that the minority of their friends and colleagues are homeowners. Just 21% indicated

about half, 17% indicated the majority, 15% indicated none, and only 2% indicated all of their

friends and colleagues are homeowners.

If a respondent’s parents own their home, that person is more likely to plan on buying a home in

the future. Of respondents whose parents own their home, 83% plan to buy in the future as well.

This number is lower (69%) for respondents whose parents do not own their home.

Plans to Buy a Home vs. Parent Homeownership

Parents own Parents do not own

Plans to buy a home 82.75% 68.88%

Doesn’t plan to buy a home 17.25% 31.12%

7

Interestingly, the impact of a friend’s home ownership seems to have an inverse effect.

Respondents with a minority of friends as homeowners are the most likely to plan to buy a home

in the future.

Plans to Buy a Home vs Friends/Colleagues as Homeowners

How many of your friends and colleagues own their own home?

All MajorityRoughly

EvenMinority None TOTAL

Plans to buy a

home

71.2% 73.5% 78.73% 82.03% 77.03% 78.91%

Doesn’t plan to buy

a home

28.8% 26.49% 21.27% 19.79% 22.97% 21.09%

8

Saving to Buy

Though 79% of all respondents plan to buy a home in the future, 40% are not saving any money

at all out of their monthly income for a down payment. 19% are saving more than $400 monthly.

There is a fairly large gap between the goals to buy a home and behaviors taken to achieve

those goals. Broken down by age, 18-24 year olds are most likely to not be saving regularly from

their monthly income.

In addition to monthly rate of savings, we also looked at the total amount saved to date, among

those who plan to buy a home. 38% of all people surveyed have saved no money towards a

down payment. Additionally, 38% of all Millennials (ages 18-36) have saved $0 for a

downpayment to date.

Monthly Income Being Actively Saved for a Down Payment, by Age

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65+ TOTAL

0 45% 39% 40% 37% 36% 40%

$1 - $99 17% 13% 14% 13% 7% 14%

$100 - $199 12% 13% 14% 13% 13% 13%

$200 - $299 9% 9% 9% 9% 7% 9%

$300 - $399 5% 6% 5% 5% 8% 5%

$400 + 12% 19% 19% 23% 29% 19%

No Money Saved for a Down Payment to Date, by Age

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65+ TOTAL

44% 36% 39% 37% 31% 38%

9

Furthermore, savings for a future down payment are not the same between women and men.

More than one-fourth of men who plan on buying a home in the future are saving more than

$400 per month, compared to only 15% of women. Additionally, 42% of women are not saving at

all , compared to 36% of men.

Monthly Income Being Actively Saved for a Down Payment, by Gender Identity

Female MaleNon-binary/third gender

Prefer not to say

Prefer to self-describe

TOTAL

0 42% 36% 50% 37% 22% 40%

$1 - $99 15% 11% 19% 12% 13% 14%

$100 - $199 13% 13% 2% 12% 9% 13%

$200 - $299 9% 9% 13% 9% 17% 9%

$300 - $399 5% 6% 6% 6% 17% 5%

$400 + 15% 26% 11% 24% 22% 19%

10

A third (33%) of respondents who identified as Asian are saving more than $400 monthly for

down payments, and roughly half (49%) are saving more than $200 every month. This is highest

demographic group by far, compared to others which all are saving $400 or more at a rate of

under 20%. White respondents have the highest rate of saving $0 per month, at 43%.

Monthly Income Being Actively Saved for a Down Payment, by Race

American Indian or Alaska Native

AsianBlack or African American

Hispanic or Latinx

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Prefer not to say

White TOTAL

0 38% 31% 38% 39% 37% 37% 43% 40%

$1 - $99 19% 9% 15% 14% 13% 15% 14% 14%

$100 - $199 19% 11% 14% 15% 17% 12% 13% 13%

$200 - $299 7% 10% 10% 10% 9% 9% 9% 9%

$300 - $399 4% 6% 6% 6% 6% 6% 5% 5%

$400 + 13% 33% 17% 15% 18% 22% 17% 19%

11

Current Living Situation and Preferences

70% of respondents currently live in an apartment or condo, 19% in a stand-alone home; 5% in

a duplex or in none of the above.

Regardless of current housing situation, 64% of respondents say they would prefer to live in a

stand-alone home, and only 36% in an apartment.

The vast majority of respondents live in a two (33%), one (29%) or three (20%) bedroom home.

Four or more bedroom and studio apartments are both far less common among those surveyed,

at 9% each.

Only 28% of respondents live alone. The most common living situation is living with one other

person (39%), followed by 3 or more people (17%), and 2 people (16%).

For those that do not live alone, 47% of all respondents live with a partner, and 24% with friends.

Additionally, 20% of all respondents live with children younger than 18 years old. 11% live with

parents, 10% with other relatives, 9% with strangers and 8% with a sibling. Of those who live

with just one person, 61% stated that they live with a partner.

As expected, the type of roommates lived with changes between age groups. While 31% of

18-24 year old live with friends and 17% with parents, these numbers drop significantly as age

increases. Those over 45 years old indicated they live with relatives other than parents,

brothers/sisters at a far higher rate than younger age groups.

12

50% of all respondents either speak with their neighbors once a month or less, or they do not

speak with their neighbors at all. Only 9% stated that they speak with their neighbors more than

4 times in a week. Additionally, among respondents who own their home, 65% would not

consider using a homeshare/hosting service like Airbnb or VRBO.

Location and Home Satisfaction

The vast majority of respondents to the survey live in a city (69%), and nearly a quarter live in a

suburb near a city (24%). Very few respondents live in a small town not near a city (4%) or a rural

area (3%).

To understand whether respondents are happy with their current city, neighborhood or home,

we posed “opinion scale” questions, asking respondents to rank their satisfaction on a scale

from 1 to 5, with 1 being “not at all” and 5 being “very much so.”

Living Situation, by Age

18 - 24 25 - 36 37 - 44 45 - 64 65+

Parents 17% 8% 6% 6% 1%

Friends 31% 21% 8% 8% 8%

Brothers/Sisters 12% 6% 4% 5% 5%

Partner 23% 43% 34% 33% 47%

Dependent

children (under

18)

5% 12% 36% 23% 6%

Other relatives 5% 3% 9% 22% 29%

Strangers 8% 8% 4% 3% 3%

13

Overall, more than half of all respondents (52%) would prefer to live in a different city, followed

by roughly a quarter (24%) who would not and a quarter (23%) who are unsure.

While many may wish to live elsewhere, respondents still feel generally positive about the

location and home in which they live. On a scale of 1 to 5, respondents enjoy living in their

current:

● city/town at an average rating of 3.88

● neighborhood at an average rating of 3.69

● apartment/home was at an average rating of 3.37

Broken down by gender identity, women are less satisfied with their current apartment/home,

neighborhood, and city/town than the average, and far lower than men’s satisfaction which

exceeded the average:

● city/town: 3.84 (women) vs. 3.98 (men)

● neighborhood: 3.64 (women) vs. 3.79 (men)

● apartment/home: 3.28 (women) vs. 3.52 (men)

People who currently live in a city are most likely to enjoy the city/town in which they are

currently living.

Satisfaction of Household Location, by Area

1 2 3 4 5

City 4.06% 6.51% 16.84% 29.47% 43.12%

Suburb near a

city

5.64% 10.43% 23.51% 30.06% 30.36%

Small town not

near a city

14.65% 14.31% 23.91% 22.05% 25.08%

Rural area 16.71% 11.69% 24.34% 21.72% 25.54%

14

In selecting a place to live, the most important three factors considered by respondents are:

1. Affordability (81%)

2. Neighborhood Safety (69%)

3. Commute (66%).

When the results are analyzed by age, affordability stayed the most important for all age groups,

however it lessened slightly as people aged. Commute became dramatically less important

among older demographics.

Factors Considered in Choosing Home Location, by Age

18 - 24 25 - 36 37 - 44 45 - 6465 and

older

Not

providedTOTAL

Affordability 86% 83% 79% 76% 75% 83% 81%

Local/State

Taxes 7% 8% 10% 10% 8% 9% 8%

Employment

Opportunities 33% 31% 28% 21% 10% 29% 29%

Neighborhood

Safety 70% 69% 70% 67% 58% 73% 69%

Proximity to

Friends/Family 40% 43% 30% 28% 33% 36% 38%

Commute 72% 74% 58% 46% 24% 65% 66%

Entertainment

Options 28% 32% 23% 16% 17% 25% 27%

Food Options 35% 39% 32% 20% 22% 33% 34%

Access to Public

Transportation 47% 49% 39% 31% 31% 52% 44%

Home/Building

Amenities 53% 49% 46% 39% 38% 49% 47%

15

Interestingly, for women, neighborhood safety and affordability were selected even more

frequently than compared to the general population.

Enjoyment of Household Location by Gender Identity

Female MaleNon-binary/third gender

Prefer not to say

Prefer to self-describe

TOTAL

Affordability 83% 78% 79% 79% 80% 82%

Local/State

Taxes 8% 9% 7% 10% 10% 8%

Employment

Opportunities 27% 32% 30% 34% 40% 29%

Neighborhood

Safety 73% 62% 51% 66% 60% 69%

Proximity to

Friends/

Family 38% 39% 45% 31% 20% 38%

Commute 65% 67% 70% 63% 57% 66%

Entertainment

Options 24% 33% 38% 24% 30% 27%

Food Options 31% 40% 46% 35% 33% 34%

Access to

Public

Transportation 42% 47% 51% 50% 63% 45%

Home/

Building

Amenities 48% 46% 43% 45% 47% 48%

16

Relocation

Most of those surveyed recently moved to their current residence. In fact, almost 40% have

been living at their current city for less than 1 year.

While only 15% of respondents have been living in their current area for more than 4 years,

more than 30% see themselves living in their current city for more than 4 years in the future.

Unsurprisingly, among the people who would prefer to live in another city, 66% stated that they

see themselves living in their current city for 2 years or less.

Also unsurprisingly, those who do not prefer another city are more likely to stay in their current

city for more than 4 years (63%).

Preference on City & How Long They Plan to Stay in the Current City

Would you prefer to live in another city?

Yes No Unsure

Less than 1 year 30.77% 5.57% 8.27%

1-2 years 35.22% 13.65% 26.02%

3-4 years 17.7% 17.3% 26.93%

4+ years 16.31% 63.48% 38.78%

17

Among all respondents to this survey, fewer than 4% currently live where they grew up. The

main reason for moving to their current home was for Work (36%), followed by for Family/

Partner (16%), Cost of Living (14%), and Schooling (10%). Additionally, 3 out of 10 stated they

considered local or state regulations regarding recreational drug use / alcohol.

18

20%

4%

10%

14% 16%

36% Work

Family/PartnerCost of Living

SchoolingI’m living where I grew up

Other

Notably, more men moved for job-related reasons than women: 45% vs. 31%.

Main Reason for Moving to Current Home, by Gender Identity

Female Male

Non-

binary/

third

gender

Prefer not

to say

Prefer to

self-

describe

TOTAL

Cost of living 15% 13% 10% 14% 7% 14%

Family/

Partner 17% 15% 10% 17% 27% 16%

I'm currently

living where I

grew up 4% 3% 3% 4% 10% 4%

Other 22% 16% 16% 24% 27% 20%

Schooling 10% 9% 19% 11% 13% 10%

Work 31% 45% 42% 30% 17% 36%

19

How People Search for a Home

A vast majority of respondents stated that when they last looked for a home, they felt they had

“little to no options” or only “a few options.” This was one of the strongest responses in the

survey, at 70%. This was true across types of geographic areas, however those in rural areas

were even more likely to feel that they had little to no options, whereas in other geographic

areas, respondents felt they had at least a few options.

When it comes to the channels that respondents used to find their current home, rental search

websites/companies were the top choice (39%). In a notable shift in behavior, this number

almost doubled when asked what they’d use in future searches: 69% said that they would prefer

rental search websites as the primary channel for search in the future. Additionally,

technology’s role in real estate is becoming more and more irreplaceable. The various online

platforms selected for future home search added up to 84%, compared to traditional real estate

company/agents’ share of 10%, and referral at 6%.

In their search for a home, respondents felt that the quality of listings (54%), out-of-date listings

(44%) and scams (41%) were the most frustrating parts of the rental search experience

(multiple answers were allowed). Additionally, real-time pricing and listings (72%), high quality

listings (53%) and instant online applications (53%) were chosen as the factors that would make

the search process better.

Options Available, by Current Home Location

Little to no Few Fair amount A lot

City 24.64% 49.69% 19.57% 6.11%

Suburb near a city 27.48% 50.43% 17.57% 4.53%

Small town not near

a city 38.22% 41.41% 15.82% 4.55%

Rural area 43.20% 37.71% 11.93% 7.16%

20

Personal Finance Perspectives

Rent is one of the largest expenses every month for most people (in fact, this was true for 82%

of those surveyed). This was followed by Food (51%) and Transportation (33%) as respondents’

biggest financial expenses.

For context, survey respondents have a median current annual income of $48,000, and a

median monthly rent or mortgage payment of $1,195. Male respondents reported a median

income of $60,000 and rent of $1,255. Female respondents, however, reported a median

income of $48,000 and a median monthly rent or mortgage payment of $1,100.

When asked what the percentage of income respondents believe they should spend on rent,

the median answer was 25%. When compared to the actual percentage of income spent on

rent, 54% are paying more than that.

Yet, at an average rating of 3.3 out of 5, respondents slightly agree that they are getting a good

deal on their current residence.

Housing

Food

Transportation

Utilities

Student loans

Health care

Entertainment

Kids

Apparel/Shopping

Charity

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

21

Almost half of all respondents (42%) rated their financial situation as “average.” While 12%

described themselves as “poor,” only 6% consider themselves in an “excellent” financial

situation. Overall, the average score for how respondents rated their financial situations is 2.88

out of 5 with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Women rated their financial situation lower, on

average 2.78 out of 5, while men had an average score of 3.07 out of 5.

Personal Finance Situation Rating

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

1 2 3 4 5

6.09%

19.97%

41.77%

20.31%

11.86%

22

Rating of their personal financial situation somewhat correlated to the highest level of

education completed by respondents. For example, 25% of those with less than a high school

degree stated they consider themselves poor, compared to only 8% of those with a Bachelor’s

Degree or 4% with a PhD.

Personal Financial Situation (1 being poor and 5 being excellent), by Education

Less than high school

High school graduate

Some college, no degree

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Graduate or Professional degree

Ph.D. TOTAL

1 25% 19% 19% 16% 8% 7% 4% 12%

2 22% 23% 25% 21% 18% 17% 20% 20%

3 43% 39% 41% 44% 42% 42% 41% 42%

4 7% 13% 12% 15% 24% 25% 25% 20%

5 3% 5% 3% 4% 7% 8% 10% 6%

23

The American Dream, Economic and Political Outlook

Roughly one in three respondents (31%) do not believe the American Dream involves

homeownership. Results this year are in line with last year’s responses (69% believe the

American Dream involved homeownership this year vs 71% in 2016).

Notably this is lower than the number of people who do plan to buy in the future (79%).

Unexpectedly, 66% who believe that American Dream does not involve homeownership still

plan to buy a home in the future.

The result was also roughly the same across age groups, though interestingly the youngest age

group (18-24 year olds) had the highest belief that the American Dream involves home

ownership. This was also true in last year’s survey.

The “American Dream” Involves Home Ownership, by Age

18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65+ TOTAL

Yes 73% 68% 69% 70% 65% 69%

No 27% 32% 31% 30% 35% 31%

24

More than half of respondents (51%) are pessimistic about the current situation of the

economy, compared to 37% optimistic. People are even more pessimistic about where the

economy is headed: 30% optimistic and 56% pessimistic. Notably, men are more optimistic:

40% of men are optimistic compared to 26% of women. The differences in the optimism/

pessimism about where the economy is heading did not affect respondents’ plans to buy a

home in the future.

25

Feeling About the Future of the Economy

13%

21%

35%

26%

5%

Feeling About the Current State of the Economy

12%

17%

34%

32%

5%

Very optimistic Somewhat optimistic

Somewhat pessimistic Very pessimisticNot sure

Only 9% are satisfied with the performance of the President. 64% of our respondents claimed

that they are “Very Dissatisfied,” followed by 18% “Neutral” and 9% “Somewhat Dissatisfied.”

26

Satisfaction Rating for the Performance of The President

64%

18%

9%

5%4%

Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Somewhat dissatisfiedNeutral Very dissatisfied

Appendix I: Demographics

Age

The median age of respondents is 30 years. Notably, the median age of renters is also 30

whereas the median age of the homeowners is slightly higher, at 35 years. (For the purposes of

this report, we mirrored U.S. census groupings and defined Millennials as 18-36 years old.)

Gender Identity

Nearly two thirds of respondents identify as female, at 62%, compared with 33% who identify as

male. The remaining identify as non-binary/third gender (1%), prefer to self describe (<1%), or

preferred not to say (3%).

Ethnicity

54% of identified as White, 15% Black or African American, 10% Hispanic or Latinx, 9% Asian,

1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

Education

The majority of respondents’ highest level of education is a bachelor’s degree (40%), followed

by respondents with graduate or professional degrees (20%), and some college but not

graduated (19%). Those with a high school degree (10%), associates degree (8%), PhD (2%), or

less than a high school degree (2%) are significantly lower.

Employment

83% of respondents are employed; 17% unemployed. Of those employed, 12% are self-

employed. Additionally, 81% work in an office or business establishment, as opposed to 9%

who work from home and 4% from a co-working space. Of those unemployed, 40% are currently

looking for a job, with the rest retired (27%) or working as a homemaker (16%) or student (17%).

Under 18 18-24 25-36 37-44 45-64 65+ TOTAL

2.2% 13.6% 53.3% 11.2% 17.1% 2.6% 14284

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