Ideology Influences Community Preference

Would you prefer to live in a community where 1) Houses are larger and farther apart but schools, stores and restaurants are miles away? or 2) Houses are smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance?

That question is posed by Pew Research Center in its 2014 Political Polarization in the American Public survey. The results of the survey show not only growing political polarization between liberals and conservatives over the years, but also that liberals and conservatives are divided by the type of community in which they would prefer to live.

Overall, the public is about evenly split in its community preference, with 49 percent preferring a larger house farther away from amenities and 48 percent preferring a smaller house in a walkable community. By political ideology, the split is anything but even, however...

Percentage who would prefer to live in a smaller house in walkable community
Consistently liberal: 77%
Mostly liberal: 57%
Mixed ideology: 47%
Mostly conservative: 33%
Consistently conservative: 22%

Percentage who would prefer to live in a larger house miles away from amenities
Consistently liberal: 21%
Mostly liberal: 40%
Mixed ideology: 51%
Mostly conservative: 65%
Consistently conservative: 75%

Source: Pew Research Center, Political Polarization in the American Public