{"id":2638118,"date":"2026-07-31T07:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T11:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-generational-divide-over-affordability-is-all-about-housing\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T08:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:04:00","slug":"the-generational-divide-over-affordability-is-all-about-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-generational-divide-over-affordability-is-all-about-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"The generational divide over affordability is all about housing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-generational-divide-over-affordability-is-all-about-housing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2638118&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President donald Trump has overseen a modest 1.3% increase in real weekly earnings and a rise of nearly $3,000 in median household incomes as his second term began. Although inflation briefly surged following the Iran offensive, the overall inflation trend has improved as the oil supply shock proved temporary. Despite these economic gains, trump&#8217;s approval rating remains around 40%, and polls suggest that the economy heavily influences voter sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>While gas prices have been a major headline,only 19% of Americans see fuel costs as a significant financial hardship,whereas a greater concern is housing affordability,especially among younger voters. Poll data indicate that inflation and housing costs are more impactful on personal finances than unemployment or gas prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics&#8217; inflation measures tend to underestimate housing cost increases for many, particularly younger families facing rising rents and home prices.<\/p>\n<p>in the political arena,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deal-reached-to-pass-major-bill-to-address-housing-affordability\/\" title=\"Deal reached to pass major bill to address ...\">bipartisan housing legislation aimed<\/a> at increasing supply and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >reducing barriers faced limited support<\/a> from Trump,who failed to endorse it strongly. Experts argue that addressing supply-side housing reforms is critical, especially for the younger generation struggling to buy homes. economic issues like inflation and housing costs remain central to voter concerns and political dynamics, overshadowing employment figures or raw wage increases.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the one hand, President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> has presided over a 1.3% increase in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/record-number-of-americans-are-quitting-jobs\/\" title=\"Record number of Americans are quitting jobs\">real average weekly earnings<\/a> since the start of his second, nonconsecutive term. Median household incomes are up an average of nearly $3,000 in real terms. While <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"728\">inflation<\/a> did indeed briefly spike in the aftermath of the Iran offensive, all signs indicate that the oil supply shock is limited as inflation abated last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/approval-ratings\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1604\">approval rating<\/a> is trending perilously close to 40%. And every available <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/polls\/\">poll <\/a>indicates it\u2019s the economy, stupid.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4669119\/minocqua-brewing-company-promise-free-beer-trump-dies-license-revoked\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Wisconsin\u2019s Minocqua Brewing Company, which promised free beer when Trump dies, has license revoked<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4666591\/mbc-mamdani-taxpayer-funded-grocery-stores-lawsuit-competition-complaints\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Immigrant business group to sue over Mamdani\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/immigrant-business-group-to-sue-over-mamdani-state-owned-grocery-stores\/\" title=\"Immigrant business group to sue over Mamdani state-owned grocery stores\">taxpayer-funded grocery stores<\/a>: Report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4666480\/boeing-3-billion-losses-air-force-one\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Boeing reaches $3 billion in losses while building new Air Force One<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because Donald Trump is not Joe Biden, he understands that this is an issue for his party, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4664924\/trump-2028-third-term-iran-war-banjo\/\">headed to Michigan<\/a> to change the narrative. But in a manner dangerously evocative of his feckless predecessor, Trump seems unable to understand that prices, not employment, are the crisis imperiling his popularity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No matter that manufacturing \u2014 the sector endlessly touted by Trump in the Great Lakes State \u2014 has actually lost over 100,000 jobs since January of last year. Our 4.2% unemployment rate remains more than a full point below the post-war average, and the labor market simply doesn\u2019t rank high on the concerns of an aging electorate. The No. 1 problem remains <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordability\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"21532\">affordability<\/a>, and despite the Iran war bringing gas prices to the top of mind, the real affordability bugaboo missed by the headlines is the generational divide in the housing market.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\">(Washington Examiner illustration; Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/Trump_Housing_RealEstate.jpg?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;662&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Washington Examiner illustration; Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s start with the polling. For all that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gas-prices\/\">gas prices<\/a> have dominated the headlines, a CBS News poll found that only 19% of respondents considered the price at the pump to be a financial hardship. And even with the recent spike in gas prices, Pew Research found that fewer voters say they are very concerned about the price of gas (56%) than the price of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/housing\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1273\">housing<\/a> (64%). Meanwhile, fewer than half of respondents said they\u2019re very concerned about unemployment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only 29% of those CBS respondents approve of Trump\u2019s handling of inflation, including 25% of those under 30. And while those voters are the least likely to say that gas prices have posed a financial hardship, younger voters rate the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/\" data-type=\"category\" data-id=\"544\">economy<\/a> more poorly for their own personal financial prospects. These young voters overwhelmingly blame the cost of housing, which \u2014 unlike gas prices or groceries or any other consumer good that is cleanly tracked by inflation data \u2014 isn\u2019t easily measured.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we\u2019ve written about extensively at <em>Tiana\u2019s Take<\/em>, the Bureau of Labor Statistics relies primarily on a measure for housing costs called \u201cowners\u2019 equivalent rent of primary resident,\u201d which is just the estimated rental price the owners of a home would list if they were to rent out the home in which they live. So the BLS\u2019s measure of inflation does not account for the fact that most homeowners with mortgages lock in an effective inflation rate of zero. A boomer one decade into a 30-year fixed mortgage can ignore the housing market, while a young couple that needs to graduate from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom to fit a family can feel devastated by the current industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4657193\/dsa-dumbed-down-definition-working-class-designed-to-deceive\/\">TIANA LOWE DOESCHER: THE DSA\u2019S DUMBED-DOWN DEFINITION OF \u2018WORKING CLASS\u2019 IS DESIGNED TO DECEIVE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s sinking approval ratings and Republican chances in the Nov. 3 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm elections<\/a> seemed to have a political salve in bipartisan housing legislation. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Legislation, enacted on July 11 after the 10-day window for Trump to sign or veto it had passed, aims to increase housing supply, streamline regulations, and restrict large corporate buyers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump made a political faux pas in refusing to give the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act the proper presidential blessing it deserved. But it\u2019s not too late for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/white-house\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/white-house\/\">White House<\/a> to bear-hug the first federal housing reform bill in a generational way and tether the administration\u2019s visage to the supply-side reforms to come. The data may be better than Trump\u2019s critics will concede, but denying the real constraints faced by the youngest generation locked out of home ownership won\u2019t work any better than Biden\u2019s four-year campaign to gaslight the electorate out of believing their lying eyes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Tiana Lowe Doescher (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TianaTheFirst\">@TianaTheFirst<\/a>) is an economics columnist for the <\/em>Washington Examiner<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump\u2019s economic gains amid rising inflation and approval decline<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2693,"featured_media":2638119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trump_Housing_RealEstate.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[18297,35557,4344],"class_list":["post-2638118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-affordability","tag-generational-gap","tag-housing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trump_Housing_RealEstate.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2693"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2638118"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2638127,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638118\/revisions\/2638127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2638119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2638118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2638118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2638118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}