Montanans (still) concerned about housing costs, property taxes, poll says • Daily Montanan

“A whopping” 73% of voters say they don’t believe elected leaders are adequately addressing Montana’s housing crisis, according to poll results released Thursday by left-leaning Middle Fork Strategies.

“Montanans are tired of being priced out of their communities and feeling like the politicians that they elected to represent them are instead giving breaks to big corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working families,” said Brandon DeMars, Middle Fork’s executive director, in a news release.

Findings show Montanans are largely concerned about the same issues, the cost of living and cost of housing, along with inflation, property taxes and public education, Middle Fork said.

But compared to other recent surveys, “pessimism about the direction of the state continues to grow,” said a news release about the poll.

Middle Fork describes itself as a “multi-issue advocacy and research organization” with goals to hold those in power accountable and “empower progressive voices.”

The poll was released on the same day a property tax task force convened by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte delivered its proposal with ideas for property tax relief for the 2025 Montana Legislature to consider.

In a statement Thursday, Gianforte said his office will do its part to address the crisis in housing.

“While we need the federal government to do its part to fix the inflation it’s caused, we’ll do our part to address the affordability crisis,” Gianforte said. “Getting property taxes under control is one part of it. I know the members of this task force share my commitment to addressing rising property taxes and helping more folks achieve the American dream.”

The poll was conducted by Searchlight Research among 600 likely voters from July 28-Aug. 1, Middle Fork said in its news release. It has a +-4% margin of error.

Searchlight Research describes itself as “a full-service public opinion research firm specializing in electing Democrats at all levels and advancing progressive causes.”

The poll asked questions about support for abortion, the housing crisis, and political preferences for the Montana Legislature, among other topics.

Of voters surveyed, 41% said abortion should be legal and generally available; 15% said regulations are necessary, but “it should remain legal in most circumstance.”

Also, 31% said abortion should be legal “only in the most extreme cases, such as to save the life of the woman are in the cases of rape or incest,” the poll said. And 10% said abortion should be illegal.

Middle Fork said the findings on abortion match trends in other research.

“Additionally, an overwhelming majority (83%) favor keeping in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatment legally available to everyone, underscoring the strong disapproval of proposals to restrict or ban it,” Middle Fork said.

Abortion is legal in Montana because it is protected through privacy in the Montana Constitution and the Montana Supreme Court’s decision in Armstrong vs. State of Montana.

However, a constitutional amendment is slated to be on the ballot this year to protect reproductive rights including abortion.

The poll also found 57% of voters surveyed don’t believe public education is adequately funded. It found 14% strongly agree that it is properly funded.

Generally, the poll also said 57% of voters believe the state is “on the wrong track” compared to 36% who say Montana is going in the right direction — and 52% who said Montana was on the wrong track five months ago.

In 2023, Republicans held a supermajority in the Montana Legislature, and the poll shows most voters still would support a generic Republican for office. It found 50% of voters would support a Republican over a Democrat for the legislature, and 44% would support a Democrat.

Republicans are expected to lose seats in November but retain a majority. Gianforte is also up for re-election but has been far ahead in other polls against Democratic Ryan Busse, according to a couple of surveys posted on 538 including one funded by the Montana GOP.

The Middle Fork poll also showed the following:

• 85 percent oppose cuts to Social Security benefits.
• 74 percent oppose the creation of a sales tax in Montana.
• 73 percent favor reauthorization of the state’s Medicaid expansion program.
• 66 percent oppose legislation allowing tax dollars to be taken away from local public schools and given to private charter schools.