A new survey by the Community Service Society (CSS) has found overwhelming support for rent stabilization across political, racial, and geographic lines in New York State, challenging long-standing claims by corporate landlords and their lobbyists that rent control is unpopular. The survey’s results indicate that both Republican and Democratic voters, as well as Independents, recognize the urgent need to rein in skyrocketing rents that have contributed to housing instability and homelessness.
The findings, released last month, come from CSS’s Annual Survey of Housing and Economic Security, which surveyed nearly 5,000 adults across suburban, urban, and rural communities. The results show a clear consensus: New Yorkers want rent stabilization policies that prevent excessive rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
The survey found that 89 percent of suburban residents support rent stabilization, alongside 84 percent of those in urban areas and 81 percent in rural areas. These results defy the conventional narrative that rent control is only favored in cities, proving that the affordability crisis is affecting communities across the state.
Support for rent stabilization also crossed racial and ethnic backgrounds. Black respondents showed the highest level of support at 90 percent, followed by Asian respondents at 88 percent. Multi-racial respondents supported the policy at 82 percent, white respondents at 81 percent, and Latino respondents at 75 percent.
Age was another area of strong agreement. Seventy-three percent of respondents between 18 and 29 supported rent stabilization, with support increasing to 89 percent among those between 30 and 44. Among those aged 45 to 64, support remained high at 86 percent, while 75 percent of those aged 65 and older backed rent stabilization measures.
Perhaps the most surprising result came from the political breakdown. While 88 percent of Democrats supported rent stabilization, the policy also found strong support among 83 percent of Independents and 75 percent of Republicans. This finding undermines the common argument that rent control is a purely progressive issue. Instead, it demonstrates that housing affordability concerns cut across political ideology, making rent stabilization a rare issue with bipartisan backing.
The survey also explored awareness of Good Cause eviction protections, which prevent landlords from evicting tenants without legitimate justification. Initially, only one-third of respondents were familiar with the concept. However, after receiving a neutral explanation of the policy, three-quarters of respondents expressed support for implementing Good Cause protections in their communities.
This suggests that while rent stabilization and tenant protections may not always be top-of-mind for voters, they gain significant public support when explained in clear, straightforward terms. It also highlights the potential for expanding tenant protections through education and advocacy efforts.
For years, real estate industry groups such as the National Multifamily Housing Council and the California Apartment Association have argued that rent control is unpopular and ineffective. They claim that such policies discourage housing development and create market distortions that ultimately harm renters. However, the CSS survey’s findings contradict these claims, showing that residents across all backgrounds want safeguards against excessive rent hikes.
Economists and housing advocates have increasingly challenged anti-rent control arguments. A recent white paper published by Open Markets Institute’s chief economist Brian Callaci and legal director Sandeep Vaheesan in the Harvard Business Review emphasized that rent regulations are necessary to curb exploitative landlord practices. Similarly, a group of top economists recently urged the Biden administration to support rent control policies as a means to protect tenants from market-driven rent gouging.
Advocacy organizations such as Housing Is A Human Right have long championed rent regulations as part of a broader strategy known as the “3 Ps”:
- Protect tenants through rent stabilization and other legal safeguards.
- Preserve existing affordable housing to prevent displacement.
- Produce new affordable and homeless housing to address the long-term supply gap.
The survey results reinforce the idea that rent stabilization is not just a niche policy preference—it is a broadly supported solution to a crisis that affects millions.
Despite this widespread public backing, corporate landlords and their allies in the legislature continue to oppose rent regulations, relying on outdated arguments that have failed to hold up against the mounting evidence of their necessity. However, the CSS survey makes it clear that voters are paying attention and that elected officials who champion tenant protections could find themselves on the winning side of a major political issue.
The findings of this survey present a rare opportunity for lawmakers looking to make meaningful reforms that will resonate with a broad constituency. At a time when housing affordability remains one of the most pressing economic issues in the country, candidates and elected officials who take up the fight for rent stabilization and tenant protections may find themselves with widespread support from voters across the political spectrum.
For years, rent control opponents have relied on misinformation and fear-mongering to resist these policies. But the data from CSS tells a different story—one where Americans of all political affiliations, races, and ages understand the necessity of rent stabilization. It’s time for politicians to listen and act accordingly.
Since when did rent control become renamed as rent stabilization?
Did that occur at the same time that global warming became climate change?
Rent stabilization is broader than just rent control
O.K., but your first sentence uses the terms interchangeably.
It’s hard to know what exactly is supported, by whom, and whether or not they understand what’s being asked.