---
title: "Bailing out Homeowners"
description: "The public is evenly divided over spending billions to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure on mortgages they cannot afford but most supporters say they are bothered by it."
date: "2009-03-26"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/03/26/bailing-out-homeowners/"
---

# Bailing out Homeowners

The public remains divided over spending billions to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure on mortgages they cannot afford — 46% say this is the right thing for the government to be doing while an identical percentage says it is wrong. But 72% of those who support the government helping homeowners facing foreclosures say they are, at least, bothered by bailing out people who got in over their heads and 21% of supporters go so far as to say this policy makes them angry. Almost two-thirds of Democrats (64%) say that is the right thing to do, compared with 23% of Republicans and 46% of independents. The gap between Democrats and Republicans has widened — from 29 to 41 points — since the same question was asked in December. Notably, those with family incomes of $30,000 or less are the only income group where a majority (55%) sees the homeowner foreclosure assistance as a good idea. At the other end of the income spectrum (family incomes of $100,000 or more), 36% view homeowner foreclosure aid positively — the lowest of any income group.[Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1153/obama-job-approval-economic-policy-views-divided-iraq-afghanistan)