Hawai‘i survey finds affordable housing top concern for residents

A statewide winter 2025 survey of 907 Hawai‘i residents found affordable housing is the single most important issue voters want leaders to address, a result that carries direct implications for Kauai County public policy and local housing markets. The findings show broad public support for accelerated housing production and a willingness to back changes that could lower costs and expand options.

Key survey outcomes include 71% support statewide for building more housing quickly, 53% support for paying for public infrastructure to reduce home prices, and 55% backing for allowing increased building heights in select areas. Rent-to-own programs drew especially strong support, with 86% of respondents in favor. The survey also found that most residents view the military as economically important but want improved military communication and more on-base housing.

Report authors and officials from the Pacific Resource Partnership highlighted the scale of the shortfall facing Hawai‘i: more than 64,000 housing units are needed. They urged policymakers to pursue faster, creative solutions, including infrastructure financing through bonds and efforts to reduce permitting delays that slow construction. Those priorities map directly onto decisions that Kauai County officials and island stakeholders must confront as housing demand continues to outstrip supply.

For Kauai, where limited land and high development costs compound statewide trends, the survey’s numbers underscore pressure on elected officials, planning departments, and private developers to find practical, enforceable pathways to add units. Measures such as targeted height increases, infrastructure investment to enable new subdivisions, streamlined permitting for workforce housing, and pilot rent-to-own or homeownership assistance programs are options that align with expressed voter preferences. At the same time, each approach raises tradeoffs around community character, environmental review, and infrastructure capacity that county policymakers must weigh.

The survey’s emphasis on better military communication and on-base housing is also relevant locally, as any expansion or base-related housing decisions intersect with community planning and labor markets on the island. Increased clarity from military partners and coordination on housing needs could help ease pressure on the civilian housing stock.

As Kauai County prepares for upcoming budget cycles and state policy debates, the survey signals residents expect action rather than incremental measures. Local officials will need to balance speed with oversight, use financing tools intentionally, and engage communities early to build support for projects that can meaningfully close the gap between housing supply and demand.