Poll after poll shows that nearly everyone in Los Angeles believes homelessness is one of the biggest problems facing the region.

But a new study from USC shows that a key factor in determining what Angeleno residents think they need to do about it is whether they are homeowners.

According to the survey, renters in Los Angeles County are at least 14 percentage points more likely than homeowners to support rent control, affordable housing construction, and the use of housing vouchers in their neighborhoods; were found to be more supportive of encampment cleanup than renters. For example, 71% of renters surveyed said they supported the construction of affordable or public housing on their block, compared to 53% of homeowners.

Surveys that asked about general support for the policy brought the two groups closer together. The survey found that overall support for affordable housing construction among homeowners was more than 20 percentage points higher than the level of support for housing construction in their own communities.

Kyla Thomas, a sociologist and director at the University of Southern California, said the results reflect the different interests of homeowners and renters. University LABarometer investigation. She said homeowners are concerned about property values ​​and are resisting policies they believe could negatively impact housing, while renters are looking forward to lower rents and more affordable housing. He hopes that it will be available.

“L.A. has a lot of left-leaning homeowners who are sympathetic to homelessness and generally support these solutions,” Thomas said. “But on a neighborhood block, there are completely different incentives.”

The gap between homeowners and renters is the study’s most salient social cleavage in attitudes toward affordable housing, rent control, and universal basic income, outweighing differences in race, income, and education. was also an important issue.

This discovery is not new. a Urban voter poll A survey conducted in the spring by the Los Angeles Business Council Institute in partnership with the Times found similar disparities between homeowners and renters.

The survey found that more than six in 10 renters think the lack of affordable housing in the city is so severe that the state government should penalize local governments that block construction. was. Only 42% of homeowners agreed.

Thomas said this rift has major policy implications. Renters make up the majority in Los Angeles County, according to U.S. Census data, but homeowners also have preferences. often dominate political debate on top of the housing.

“The constant challenge in Los Angeles is these competing groups and the power differentials between them,” Thomas said. “Angelenos have a higher percentage of renters, but they have much less economic power. I think that just creates real tension.”

The LABarometer Survey on Livability and Affordability is an annual poll drawn from an online panel of demographically representative Los Angeles County adults. The survey of 1,507 residents was conducted from July 24 to Oct. 15 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, with high margins for questions between subgroups.

There are approximately 75,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County, 55,000 of whom are unsheltered. Latest point count of the homeless population.

The study found that Los Angeles has an epidemic of homelessness. Of those surveyed, 82% said they see a homeless person at least once a week.

Almost one in 10 people surveyed said they had experienced homelessness themselves. Almost a quarter said they had to couchsurf, live in a car or motel, or live with friends or family as an adult. This situation is often considered homelessness. federal definition.

“The common experience of housing insecurity is the foundation of Los Angeles,” Thomas said.

The investigation revealed warning signs of further stress for tenants. A steadily increasing number of Angelenos say they moved because their landlord raised the rent.

As of October 2020, only 7.5% of people who moved in the previous year said rent increases were the reason. This percentage increased in each of the subsequent four surveys, increasing to 34.8% in this version.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many policies temporarily limited rent increases. They are prohibited in rent-controlled apartments in the city.. But those rules Expiration date has expired.