Will you buy a home? Record share of non-owners say not for a while, poll finds

A record-high share of non-homeowners in America believe that purchasing a home is an unattainable near-term goal, according to new polling.

In the latest Gallup survey, nearly half of non-homeowning respondents, 45%, said they are unlikely to purchase a home in “the foreseeable future,” marking the largest share recorded since 2013, when the question was first asked.

In the most recent poll before this — conducted in 2018 — 37% said they probably would not buy a house in the near future. This figure stood at 28% in 2017, 38% in 2016 and 41% in 2015.

In contrast, in the latest poll, 53% of non-owners said they think they will buy a home in the next five to 10 years — the lowest share registered since 2013. This figure stood at 62% in 2018 and 69% in 2017.

Non-homeowners made up 34% of the respondents, while owners made up 62%, which is roughly in line with figures recorded in recent years, though the homeownership rate was higher in the early 2000s.

The poll sampled 1,006 U.S. adults between April 1 and 14 and has a margin of error of 4-percentage points.

Reasons for not owning a home

The poll also asked renters what factors play into them choosing to rent rather than buy a home.

The majority, 68%, said they can’t afford to buy or don’t have adequate funds for a down payment, making it by far the most cited reason. By comparison, in 2013, 45% of renters listed the same reason, indicating ownership is becoming increasingly out of reach due to the costs involved.

Just 11% said they choose to rent because it is more convenient and easier to manage, up slightly from 10% in 2013.

And 9% of renters cited a poor economy and housing market, up from 4% in 2013.

Meanwhile, 6% said they rent due to bad credit or bankruptcy. This figure stood at 12% in 2013.

Other reasons, like divorce, taxes and foreclosure were all cited by 3% or less of renters.

Persistent pessimism about the housing market

The poll also found that respondents were generally pessimistic about the U.S. housing market.

The vast majority of overall respondents, 72%, said now is a bad time to purchase a house “for people in general.”

This figure is down slightly from recent years, with 76% saying the same in 2024 and 78% saying the same in 2023. However, compared to the long-term trend, it is significantly up. Before 2022, the share saying it was a bad time to buy never surpassed 50%.

In contrast, 26% of respondents said now is a good time to buy a home. This is up from 21% in 2024 and 2023, but down from the long-term trend, with the share dipping below 50% for the first time in 2022.

This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Will you buy a home? Record share of non-owners say not for a while, poll finds."