People around the world are increasingly separating their own ability to pay for housing from their view of whether their communities offer enough good, affordable homes, according to a Gallup analysis.
The global median share satisfied with local affordable housing was 48% in 2025, down slightly from 50% in 2006, even as the share reporting difficulty paying for shelter rose by double digits.
Views of the broader market have shifted
When Gallup began tracking the issue, people who could afford their own housing were generally more satisfied with local housing availability. By 2025, that relationship had nearly disappeared and was slightly negative globally.
The disconnect was largest in high-income countries. In those nations, about nine in 10 people did not report personal difficulty paying for shelter, but fewer than half had been satisfied with the local housing market since 2022.
Comparing the 2007-11 and 2021-25 periods, the gap between personal affordability and satisfaction with local housing increased by 30 percentage points in Canada, 27 points in New Zealand, 24 points in the United States, 22 points in Ireland and 16 points in Australia.
Local conditions carry more weight
The relationship between personal shelter affordability and local housing satisfaction fell from seven points to three points over the study period. At the same time, the association with views of the local economy increased from 10 points to 13 points, while the link with perceptions of household income rose from eight points to 10 points.
Gallup also found local housing satisfaction was a significant predictor of optimism about the future, with an association comparable to a country's per-capita income or education level and more than twice as large as personal housing affordability.
The analysis used Gallup World Poll data from more than 140 countries collected since 2006. Gallup said the findings suggest people are paying closer attention to housing supply and local market conditions, though the data do not establish a direct cause.
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