In 2024, the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO) contracted with Measurement Resources Company (MRC) to conduct community opinion research on “Missing Middle” and related housing options in Franklin County, Ohio. AHACO used the findings to build their report “Overwhelming: Central Ohio’s Housing Survey”. Missing Middle Housing is a range of house-scale building types that include duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. They provide diverse housing that blend into existing single-family neighborhoods and create more affordable options. This type of housing can be an option for those who earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) were also studied. An ADU is a separate living unit that can be part of or attached to a single-family home. These units have their own entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and living space. ADUs are often referred to as in-law apartments, casitas, or backyard cottages.
By gathering input on resident attitudes, preferences, and knowledge of housing and related zoning issues, AHACO is able to better address and advocate for policies that will affect the region’s housing shortage.
Survey Methodology
MRC delivered the survey across the central Ohio region and collected more than 1300 responses. Asking 29 questions, and the survey took respondents about 12 minutes to complete. Questions specifically focused on how Columbus residents feel about living in or near “Missing Middle” housing;
ex: “How comfortable are you, or would you be, living in the same neighborhood as some Missing Middle Housing?”
Exploring the extent of the effects felt from the lack of such housing options;
ex: “Has Central Ohio’s housing shortage negatively affected someone you care about? Has it negatively affected you?”
As well as how residents feel about zoning reform measures to better support access to Missing Middle Housing;
ex: “The following question lists what experts and residents across the US believe are benefits of adding Missing Middle Housing. Please rate how you believe adding Missing Middle Housing would benefit the following aspects of Central Ohio.”
MRC collected demographic information including race, income, family size, zip code, gender, and more. AHACO took the results and created their report, “Overwhelming: The Central Ohio Housing Survey”, which detailed the most important takeaways, which aimed to gain valuable insights into residents’ perceptions of multi-family housing options.
Strong Support for Missing Middle Housing: A Path Forward for Central Ohio
All the results and data presented below were directly pulled from the full report available on the AHACO website. To read the complete report, please click here.
The results highlight the widespread consequences of the housing shortage in Central Ohio, with more than half of respondents (52%) directly feeling its negative effects. Additionally, a significant 74% of participants reported that their loved ones are also experiencing the hardships caused by the shortage, underscoring the far-reaching impact on the community.
AHACO highlighted a respondent’s perspective that captures the frustration many in the community feel:
“As a millennial who has been in the workforce for 10 years, it feels nearly impossible to find a house at an affordable price. It’s demoralizing to see costs continue to rise. Housing affordability is a critical issue to me because I see many people in my age group struggling with the same challenge. Having affordable housing options will be vital to the area’s growth and success.”
The lack of accessible housing has a widespread negative impact across all income levels. For those earning under $25,000 per year, 61% reported experiencing negative effects due to the housing shortage. Surprisingly, even among those with higher incomes, 28% of individuals earning $200,000 or more also cited being negatively affected. This data highlights the broad reach of the issue, with 73% of Central Ohio residents expressing dissatisfaction with the current housing situation. Only 5% reported being very satisfied, emphasizing the urgent need for change in the local housing market.
A key focus of AHACO’s survey was understanding public perception of housing policies that could allow the development of Missing Middle Housing. The results showed strong support, with 78% of surveyed residents in favor of permitting Missing Middle Housing on all residential lots. This support is consistent across various racial groups, housing tenures, genders, and age groups. Respondents also widely believe that integrating Missing Middle Housing into existing single-family neighborhoods would have numerous positive impacts on the community. 94% of respondents believe that it would increase housing affordability, and 67% feel that it would increase property value.
Current Zoning laws often do not allow the construction of “Missing Middle” housing or ADU’s. With this report, AHACO learned that people generally are NOT opposed. These compelling findings will help inform AHACO’s advocacy efforts, guiding the push for policy changes that address the urgent need for affordable housing solutions in Central Ohio.
The AHACO team was an excellent partner throughout the process, providing valuable insights that helped to collaboratively shape the survey. As Carlie Boos, Executive Director of AHACO, shared, “MRC has been the expert we needed; they’re collaborative, detailed, timely, and flexible.” We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with AHACO and look forward to continuing our work together.
Interested in a Community Perception Survey or Related Research for your Organization?
We would love to hear from you. Email our Executive Director, Charly Bauer at [email protected] or fill out our contact-us form here.
As a nationally known organizational development and research firm, Measurement Resources Company has delivered data-driven services and strategies to government agencies, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and collective impact initiatives, to accelerate social change since 2008. Measurement Resources has helped hundreds of social sector organizations conduct community research, market research, opinion research, needs assessments, and more to drive social change.
