[survey] public attitudes on fannie mae, freddie mac & housing reform
DESCRIPTION
Results of survey research commissioned by the American Action Forum examining public attitudes on housing finance and potential regulatory reform measures of government-sponsored enterprises (GSE’s). Among the key findings, the survey found that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are widely recognized (name recognition of 72%), are viewed extremely unfavorably (20% favorable/52% unfavorable), and there is majority support for phasing out the housing giants (52% to 32%).TRANSCRIPT
Survey Of
18 Congressional Districts
June 17-20, 2013
The following survey was conducted by OnMessage Inc within 18 congressional districts. Telephone interviews were conducted June 17-20, 2013. This survey consists of 1200 likely voters. Interviews were stratified by previous election results to reflect historic voter trends. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.82%.
2
Methodology
On Message Inc. conducted a survey for American Action Forum of 18 congressional districts across the United States, investigating various regulatory reform measures for the financial services industry currently being discussed in Congress. These districts were broken into three groups to gain an understanding of the views of different parts of the population. The groupings were as follows: conservative districts ( PVI from R+6 to R+10), districts held by Republicans where Romney garnered less than 47% (R in D seats – PVI from D+1 to D+3), and pure swing districts (PVI from D+1 to R+1).
3
Methodology
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
5
Image TestFannie Mae/Freddie Mac
Very FavSomewhat FavSomewhat UnfavVery Unfav
Never Heard OfNo Opinion-1 0 0
-8 0
-6 0
-4 0
-2 0
0
2 0
4 0
6 0
15 255 317
35
52
20Net: -32
6
Fannie Mae & Freddie MacArea
Conservative District Rep In Dem Seat Swing Districts0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
19 21 20
52 52 53
Fav Unfav
7
Fannie Mae & Freddie MacParty
Dem Ind Rep0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2915 15
4156 61
Fav Unfav
8
Are you familiar with the institutions known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Would you say you are …
Familiar Unfamiliar DK/R0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
22 12 2
54
11
SomewhatVery / Not At All
76
23
9
Favor Oppose DK/R0
102030405060708090
100
30 17 16
2215
SomewhatStrongly
As you may know, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government sponsored enterprises that buy mortgages from banks which then allow banks to make more loans to families across the country. They are backed with taxpayer dollars and were designed to make home mortgages
accessible to more Americans. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were in the middle of the housing market collapse. One reform being discussed in Congress is to get the federal
government out of the home loan guarantee business by slowly phasing out both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Knowing this, do you favor or oppose phasing out Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac?
52
32
10
Phase Out Fannie and FreddieArea
Conservative District Rep In Dem Seat Swing Districts0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
5347
55
2938
30
18 15 15
Favor Oppose DK/R
11
Phase Out Fannie and FreddieParty
Dem Ind Rep0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
39
52
64
43
2924
18 1912
Favor Oppose DK/R
12
Favor Oppose DK/R0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1039
1615
20 SomewhatStrongly
As you may know, during the recent financial crisis, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were instrumental in causing the housing bubble that led to the collapse of the housing market. This bubble was caused when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac insured home loans that were not sustainable and never should have been approved in the first place. As a result of the
collapse, the federal government had to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac costing taxpayers nearly $200 billion dollars. Knowing this, do you favor or oppose Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac?
25
59
13
Favor Or Oppose Fannie and FreddieArea
Conservative District Rep In Dem Seat Swing Districts0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
26 25 22
58 59 62
16 16 16
Favor Oppose DK/R
14
Favor Or Oppose Fannie and FreddieParty
Dem Ind Rep0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
32
22 19
5159
68
17 1913
Favor Oppose DK/R
15
The American dream is to own a home that you can keep. Our government’s goal should be to maintain sustainable home ownership and taxpayers should not have to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because they guaranteed home loans to people that could not a
You do not help families achieve the American dream by putting them into homes they cannot afford, which is exactly what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have done for decades.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were responsible for inflicting damage on our housing market and received the largest bailouts in the country. Now is the time to phase out these organizations before they do even more harm to our economy.
While the taxpayers were bailing them out, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were committing accounting fraud while their executives were receiving millions of dollars in bonuses
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have required massive taxpayer bailouts and should be phased out because homeowners who are struggling to pay their own mortgage shouldn’t be forced to pay for their neighbor’s mortgage too.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hold immense power over the home mortgage industry. As a result, Washington elites have more say than your local bank over whether or not you get a home mortgage.
100 80 60 40 20 20 40 60 80 100
11
11
10
9
9
10
13
15
13
15
14
14
23
19
19
16
18
18
33
35
35
41
38
35
Now I’d like to read you a few statements about phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For each one please tell me whether it makes you more or less likely to support the phase out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
LESS LIKELY MORE LIKELY
NET
Much Less Somewhat Less Somewhat More Much More
53
56
57
54
54
56
24
23
24
23
26
24
+29
+33
+33
+31
+28
+32
16
The American dream is to own a home that you can keep. Our government’s goal should be to maintain sustainable home ownership and taxpayers should not have to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because they guaranteed home loans to people that could not a
You do not help families achieve the American dream by putting them into homes they cannot afford, which is exactly what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have done for decades.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were responsible for inflicting damage on our housing market and received the largest bailouts in the country. Now is the time to phase out these organizations before they do even more harm to our economy.
While the taxpayers were bailing them out, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were committing accounting fraud while their executives were receiving millions of dollars in bonuses
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have required massive taxpayer bailouts and should be phased out because homeowners who are struggling to pay their own mortgage shouldn’t be forced to pay for their neighbor’s mortgage too.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hold immense power over the home mortgage industry. As a result, Washington elites have more say than your local bank over whether or not you get a home mortgage.
100 80 60 40 20 20 40 60 80 100
13
11
10
10
9
10
12
16
15
16
15
15
20
20
18
16
17
17
34
33
37
40
38
36
Swing Districts: Now I’d like to read you a few statements about phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For each one please tell me whether it makes you more or less likely to support the phase out of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac?
LESS LIKELY MORE LIKELY
NET
Much Less Somewhat Less Somewhat More Much More
53
55
56
55
53
54
25
24
26
25
27
25
+28
+31
+30
+30
+26
+29
17
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eliminated, middle class and lower income families will no longer be able to get a 30 year fixed mortgage.
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eliminated only the rich will be able to buy a home.
Our housing market is too fragile to eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
100 80 60 40 20 20 40 60 80 100
18
15
16
21
25
20
14
12
14
19
17
19
Now I’d like to read you a few statements AGAINST phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For each one please tell me whether it makes you more or less likely to support the phase out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
NET
33
29
33
36
40
39
-3
-11
-6
LESS LIKELY MORE LIKELY
Much Less Somewhat Less Somewhat More Much More
18
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eliminated, middle class and lower income families will no longer be able to get a 30 year fixed mortgage.
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eliminated only the rich will be able to buy a home.
Our housing market is too fragile to eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
100 80 60 40 20 20 40 60 80 100
16
15
17
20
25
19
14
12
13
21
17
19
Swing Districts: Now I’d like to read you a few statements AGAINST phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For each one please tell me whether it makes you more or less likely to support the phase out of Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac?
NET
LESS LIKELY MORE LIKELY
Much Less Somewhat Less Somewhat More Much More
32
29
35
36
40
36
-4
-11
-1
19
Now I’d like to read to you a few opposing arguments people are making about homeownership in America. For each one please tell me which argument comes
closest to your opinion.
Some people say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be shut down because they are corrupt.
Federal investigators found executives committed fraud and manipulated records to maximize their bonuses, while taxpayers were forced to spend nearly $200 billion dollars to
bail them out.
Be Shut Down Should Not End Both Neither DK/R0
20
40
60
80
100
5130
4 4 12
Other people say Congress should not end Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because the
companies can be reformed and without them homes will be more expensive because middle class families could have trouble getting a 30-
year fixed mortgage.
20
Be Shut Down vs. Should Not EndArea
Conservative District Rep In Dem Seat Swing Districts0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
50 51 52
32 30 27
5 3 33 5 411 11 14
Be Shut Down Should Not End BothNeither DK/R
21
Now I’d like to read to you a few opposing arguments people are making about homeownership in America. For each one please tell me which argument comes closest to your opinion.
Some people say homeowners already have access to 30 year fixed rate mortgages without
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be phased out because all they do is use their government
monopoly to buy and resell mortgages in order to subsidize banks, Wall Street, and foreign
investors.
Phase Out No 30yr Fixed Rate Both Neither DK/R0
20
40
60
80
100
4928
4 5 14
Other people say eliminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will mean middle and low income
borrowers will no longer have the ability to take out a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
22
Now I’d like to read to you a few opposing arguments people are making about homeownership in America. For each one please tell me which argument comes
closest to your opinion.
Some people say that Washington has too much control over housing and that mortgages should function without taxpayer funded support. They
say too much Washington control gave us the Dodd-Frank act, which may cause mortgage rates to double, and that getting the government out of housing finance will allow for loan variety instead
of a government one-size-fits-all mortgage.
Too Much Control Promote Ownership Both Neither DK/R0
20
40
60
80
100
5027
4 5 15
Other people say it is the role of government to promote homeownership, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are needed to keep the American
dream of owning a home within reach.
23
Now I’d like to read to you a few opposing arguments people are making about homeownership in America. For each one please tell me which argument comes
closest to your opinion.
Some people say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be phased out over time to ensure that taxpayers are never on the hook for another
bailout. They say irresponsible mortgage lending led to the financial crisis and without addressing
the role that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played, we are again making taxpayers and our economy
vulnerable to another housing crisis.
Phase Out Cannot Eliminate Both Neither DK/R0
20
40
60
80
100
48 314 4 12
Other people say we cannot eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because the housing
market is too fragile and we are still recovering from the housing collapse.
Wall St. & Banking Industry
25
Thinking about Wall Street and the banking industry, which of the following would you say is your greatest concern?
020406080
100
12 30 22 20 4 7 6
26
Greatest ConcernArea
Conservative District Rep In Dem Seat Swing Districts0
102030405060708090
100
13 14 10
2433 32
23 20 222419 18
It is too difficult to get a loan or credit.There is no accountability of banks and Wall Street.Wall Street banks are so big that if they fail the taxpayers would bail them out again.The banking industry could collapse again and devastate the economy.
27
Agree Disagree DK/R0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2710 15
33
15
SomewhatStrongly
Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statement? Even though the economy has improved, it is still difficult to obtain a mortgage,
small business or auto loan.
60
25
28
As you may know, in the wake of the last recession, Congress passed a number of reforms regulating the banking industry. Knowing this, please
tell me which argument comes closest to your opinion?
Some people say that these reforms have done more harm than good because they favored big national banks while making things more difficult for smaller local banks.
More Harm Than Good
Been Helpful Both Neither DK/R0
20
40
60
80
100
38 415 4 12
Other people say that these reforms have been helpful because they
forced banks of every size to make better loan decisions and avoid
taking unnecessary risks.