In November 2025, Ward Research surveyed 714 residents across Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kauai to understand how people view the issues shaping life in Hawaiʻi today. With a sampling error of 3.67 percent, the results provide a reliable snapshot of public sentiment across the state.
Residents consistently identified housing affordability and homelessness as two of the most urgent challenges facing Hawaiʻi. For many, these are not distant policy debates but everyday realities seen in families doubling up, neighbors leaving the islands, and people living in cars or tents.
The survey also shows strong support for action. Nearly all respondents believe policymakers should prioritize solutions to homelessness and expand deeply affordable housing. Residents favor practical approaches such as public-private partnerships, making public land available for housing, and using emergency authority to build housing faster when needed.
One of the clearest signals from the research is strong public support for the kauhale housing model. Most residents say they are familiar with kauhale as a solution to Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis. Nine in ten support kauhale housing for people experiencing homelessness, and more than nine in ten support expanding it to serve others facing deep affordability challenges, including working families.
Support for kauhale is rooted in a simple belief shared by many residents: it meets a real community need and offers an effective way to create deeply affordable housing for people who would otherwise struggle to find a place to live in Hawaiʻi.
See the survey here: https://kauhaleliving.com/
