People are less hesitant to move to an area where residents' politics would differ significantly from their own, according to a recent survey by the real estate site Redfin.

The survey, issued in June to 3,000 residents who bought or sold a primary residence in the past 12 months or planned to do so in the next 12 months, found that 38 percent of respondents would be reluctant to move to an area where they would be in a political minority. This was down from 41 percent in 2017 and 42 percent in 2016.

Forty-six percent said they would be neutral about moving to an area where they would be in the political minority.

"This decade's tumultuous political climate has widened the aisle between parties not only in Congress and the voting booth, but in our nation's communities," said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. "While the share of homebuyers and sellers who hesitate about moving to a place where most people have different ideologies has been declining, I imagine tensions will start to flare again as we head into the 2020 election year. As more people—especially young professionals—head inland from blue coastal cities seeking affordability in smaller inland metros, it's likely they will seek out communities where they'll live, work, and send their kids to school with like-minded people. We expect to see red places in the middle of the country become redder and the blues bluer as the migration trends we've been reporting continue."

Sixteen percent said they would be enthusiastic about moving to an area where most people did not share their political views. This was up from 9 percent in 2017 and 8 percent in 2016.

Younger people were typically more open to moving to areas where most residents would have opposing political views. Those between the ages of 25 and 34 were most open to the prospect, with 23 percent saying they would be enthusiastic to do so. Just 8 percent of those between the ages of 55 and 64, along with 6 percent of those ages 65 and older, said they would be enthusiastic to do so.

White respondents were slightly more likely than other races to be hesitant about moving to an area where they would be in a political minority, with 40 percent expressing reluctance to do so. Black respondents were most likely to be open to this possibility, with 22 percent saying they would be enthusiastic about it.

The same survey also asked residents how they would feel about moving to an area where they would be in a racial, ethnic, or religious minority. Respondents were typically more open to this possibility, with just 22 percent saying they would be hesitant to do so. Forty-nine percent said they would be neutral toward this prospect, while 29 percent said they would be enthusiastic about it.

Younger respondents were more likely to be enthusiastic about moving to an area where most residents were of a different race, ethnicity, or religion. Forty-one percent of those under the age of 25 and 37 percent of those ages 25-34 said they would be enthusiastic to do so, compared to just 18 percent of those ages 55-64 and 16 percent of those ages 65 and older. While just 13 percent of those under the age of 25 said they would be hesitant about moving to such an area, the share rose to 36 percent among those ages 55 to 64.

White residents were most likely to be hesitant about moving to an area where they would be in racial, ethnic, or religious minority, with one in four giving this response. Black respondents were most likely to be open to the prospect, with 43 percent saying they would be enthusiastic about it.

http://press.redfin.com/news-releases/news-release-details/redfin-survey-38-homebuyers-and-sellers-hesitant-move-place