Perspectives on Hawaii Housing Crisis Examined in New Survey

Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis continues to dominate conversations across the islands, and a new statewide survey confirms just how urgent the issue has become for local residents.

According to the Winter 2025 edition of Hawaiʻi Perspectives, affordable housing is the No. 1 concern residents believe elected leaders should prioritize. The scientific survey, commissioned by Pacific Resource Partnership, gathered insights from more than 900 residents statewide between July 1 and August 10, 2025, offering a rare and comprehensive look at public sentiment across all four counties.

Strong Support for Building More Housing

One of the most striking takeaways from the survey is the overwhelming agreement that Hawaiʻi needs to build more homes and quickly.

• 71% of residents statewide agree Hawaiʻi should build more housing as fast as possible.
• 68% say government red tape is a major barrier preventing new housing from being built.
• 58% support suspending laws that slow the permitting and approval process for new housing projects.

These findings highlight a growing willingness among residents to support bold and decisive action to address the housing shortage.

Infrastructure Costs and Creative Solutions

The survey also sheds light on how infrastructure costs contribute to rising home prices. When government does not fund infrastructure, developers are often required to absorb those costs, which are then passed on to buyers.

• 53% of respondents agree the government should pay for infrastructure for new housing to reduce costs to homebuyers.
• In some cases, infrastructure expenses, such as roads, sewer systems, water lines, and electricity, can add $200,000 or more to the price of a single home.
• 52% support changing the state constitution to allow infrastructure financing through bonds, a move that could significantly reduce upfront costs for buyers.

PRP points to a housing project in Kona where infrastructure costs increased the average home price by more than $220,000 per unit, underscoring the real world impact of these policies.

Density, Transit Oriented Development, and Innovative Programs

Residents also expressed strong support for solutions aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability:

• 55% support increasing height limits for new residential buildings in select areas.
• 79% favor building more homes and shops near bus or rail stations to allow people to live and work closer to public transportation.
• 86% would support a rent to own program that allows renters to apply a portion of their rent toward a future down payment.

These results suggest growing openness to higher density, smarter planning, and alternative pathways to homeownership.

Views on the Military’s Role in Hawaiʻi

Beyond housing, the survey explored perceptions of the military’s presence in Hawaiʻi:

• 68% say the benefits of the military outweigh the drawbacks.
• 89% believe the military is very or somewhat important to the state’s economy.
• However, 47% say the military should improve communication with local communities, and 59% believe it should build more housing on its bases.
• Regarding the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi Island, 48% support retaining military use of the land, while 41% oppose it.

A Call for Action

“Hawaiʻi needs more than 64,000 units of housing right now, so it’s not a question of whether we should build, but how quickly we can act,” said Pacific Resource Partnership Executive Director Nathaniel Kinney. “The Winter 2025 edition of Hawaiʻi Perspectives makes it clear that island residents are willing to make hard calls to help solve our housing crisis and they want our policymakers to act quickly and deliberately.”

PRP hopes the survey will help inform policy decisions and inspire innovative approaches that lead to real progress on housing production across the state.

About the Survey

The Hawaiʻi Perspectives survey was conducted by Anthology Research, a Honolulu based market research firm with nearly 30 years of experience. The statewide sample of 907 participants has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.25 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Survey artwork and layout were created by Daubert Design Co., a Honolulu based branding and creative design consultancy.

A digital copy of the Winter 2025 edition of Hawaiʻi Perspectives is available on the newly refreshed Pacific Resource Partnership website.

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