Opposition to development or opposition to developers? Experimental evidence on attitudes toward new housing

In this brief, the authors analyze neighborhood opposition to new housing developments. By using an online, framed survey experiment, it was found that opposition to new developments increased if residents were told that services, traffic, and parking would become strained. Additionally, opposition was highest when residents were told that developers would profit. The opposition, nicknamed Not-In-My-Backyard, or “NIMBY,” opposition, appears to stem from residents’ fear of their own losses and resentment of others’ gains.

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