Apr 7, 2025 - Politics

Nashville residents back spending on affordable housing, according to new poll

Nate Rau

Illustration of an upward trending line chart on a welcome mat in front of a house door — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Nashvillians support building more affordable housing by a wide margin, according to the new poll from Vanderbilt.

By the numbers: Asked to identify top priorities for city investment, 89% of those surveyed suggested building more affordable housing. Both Democrats (96%) and Republicans (71%) say they support more affordable housing.

According to the poll, 56% of residents support allowing multifamily housing "everywhere in my city to revitalize neighborhoods and local economies."
By comparison, 44% support only allowing multifamily housing in dense areas.

Between the lines: The broad support follows the release of a recent housing and infrastructure study by the Planning Department, which found that typical Black and Hispanic residents can't afford to buy homes in 99% of Nashville neighborhoods.

Reality check: While the poll shows support for housing density, the issue remains a political hot potato in Nashville. Plans to increase density faced intense pushback from neighborhood groups last year.

How it works: The latest Vanderbilt Poll was conducted Feb. 21-March 16 and included 1,008 Nashville residents. The margin of error is +/- 3.8 percentage points.

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Nashville residents back spending on affordable housing, according to new poll

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