Most Recent Movers Think Climate Change Will Impact Their Area

63% of people who moved during the pandemic believe climate change is or will be an issue in the place they now live. Homeowners were twice as likely as renters to have researched climate issues before moving.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of people who moved since the pandemic began believe that climate change is either an issue where they live now or will be in the future.

This is according to a Redfin-commissioned survey of 1,023 U.S. residents who have moved to a new home since March 1, 2020. A total of 718 respondents moved to a new metro area and 652 respondents were homeowners. The survey was fielded by research technology company Qualtrics from August 7 to 12, 2021.

“The pandemic and remote work allowed many people to rethink where they live, and climate is top of mind for movers,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “As natural disasters have become more frequent, people are realizing climate change isn’t just an abstract problem, it is a problem right on their doorstep depending on where they live. But climate change isn’t the only factor for people deciding where to live. Affordability will always be the biggest constraint, and we need to build more affordable housing that is resilient to climate change or is located in areas naturally resilient to climate change.”

On the question of whether climate change is an issue in their area, homeowners and renters were largely in agreement with more than 60% of both groups saying yes. But homeowners were more likely to have actually spent some time researching climate issues before moving. Over half (53%) of homeowners reported doing research, compared to only about a quarter (28%) of renters.

“As the practical effects of climate change begin to impact people in more direct ways—such as increasing flood insurance rates—migration patterns are likely to shift away from higher-risk areas,” said Fairweather. “In the next decades climate oases will likely see more migrants in, which would be a reversal in the trend of where people are moving currently.”