Long Island Looks to the Future

Publication Date: January 2009

Publisher: Stony Brook University Center for Survey Research; Long Island Index

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Type: Report

Coverage: New York

Abstract:

The current survey was undertaken to investigate local opinion on housing costs and preferences, a topic that has been monitored through the Long Island Index over the past several years and studied in detail in 2004. The financial strain created by high housing costs and local property taxes has been well documented in past reports which have also uncovered a surprisingly large number of local residents who think they may leave Long Island for areas with lower housing costs. The current report digs more deeply than past reports into Long Islanders’ views of housing to explore the interlinked issues of high housing costs and a willingness to embrace housing alternatives, both for oneself and others. As in past reports, we examine housing experiences, attitudes, and preferences within different age groups. Not surprisingly, age has a marked influence on the felt impact of local housing costs. These differences persist in the current study to produce strikingly different housing preferences and support for alternatives to the traditional suburban single-family home across age groups.