Housing affordability and the escalating cost of property insurance were identified as the foremost concerns among Florida voters, according to a survey published by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) on Tuesday.

The statewide poll, conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 14 among 871 registered voters, found that 34 percent of participants identified the pair of issues as the most pressing challenges facing the state, marking sustained increase in public apprehension. In 2022, just 2 percent of respondents cited housing as their primary concern, according to PORL, a figure that surged to 25 percent in early 2024 and has continued its upward trajectory amid mounting costs and a volatile insurance market.

“Concern among Florida voters over housing costs and homeowners’ insurance has seen a big jump the last few years,” said PORL faculty director and professor of political science Dr. Michael Binder. “With the high cost of property insurance and growing public concern across the state, it doesn’t shock me that over 20 percent of homeowners said they’d go without it if they had the choice.”

The economy, employment, and inflation followed as the second most pressing issue, with 21 percent of respondents citing economic factors as their chief concern. Immigration and education trailed behind at 9 percent each, while environmental issues, crime, healthcare, and gun policy registered lower levels of concern. Additionally, 4 percent of voters reported that political divisiveness and partisan strife were their greatest worry.

In a related query, 73 percent of respondents indicated they would opt to pay for homeowners’ insurance if given the choice, while 22 percent said they would forgo coverage. Regional discrepancies were found, with 25 percent of respondents in South Florida stating they would go uninsured, compared to 20 percent in North and Central Florida.

The poll was conducted via live telephone interviews with respondents contacted through both landline and mobile numbers. The sample was drawn from the Florida voter file and stratified across 11 geographic regions to ensure balanced representation. Data collection was carried out in both English and Spanish, with weighting applied to account for party affiliation, age, race, gender, and educational attainment. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.