A deeper dive into the annual survey's cross-tabulations indicates perceptions of affordability are likely, in part, driven by age, geography, and race. Results show that 55% of Texans under 30 say they spend too much of their income on housing, but only a third of Texans over the age of 45 say housing is too expensive. Likewise, 52% of Texans who live in an urban area say they spend too much of their income on housing and that share drops to 41% among Texans living in the suburbs, dropping further to 37% among Texans living in rural parts of the state.
As homelessness is on the rise in urban areas, the Lyceum poll shows urban Texans believe the problem is greater over those living in suburban and rural areas. Among urban dwellers, 63% agree homelessness is a problem, compared to 40% of suburban and 33% of rural residents.
When asked to grade their confidence in both the state and city governments' abilities to make progress on the homelessness issue, Texans gave mixed reviews. Overall, 45% of Texans say that they have confidence in city government to make progress on the issue of homelessness, while 48% have confidence in state government to reduce homelessness. When asked, more Texans lack confidence in state government, 59%, than lack confidence in city government, 51%.
