Nearly three out of four American voters believe that it is reasonable and appropriate for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote home ownership, a sentiment that cuts across partisan and regional lines across the country, according to a National Association of Home Builders poll.

And, an overwhelming majority of respondents oppose eliminating the mortgage interest deduction and would be less likely to support a candidate for Congress who wants to do away with this vital tax incentive, the survey says.

“Despite the current housing downturn, Americans still see home ownership as a core value and a key building block of being in the middle class and creating strong jobs in their communities,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, which conducted the survey for NAHB. “The bottom line: The bipartisan consensus outside the Beltway is that owning a home remains an essential part of the American Dream and voters would strongly oppose any efforts by lawmakers to increase barriers to home ownershipship.”

Among the poll’s key findings:

• 73% of all respondents — both owners and renters — believe the federal government should provide tax incentives to promote home ownership. This support for housing runs strong among all party affiliations, with 79% of Democrats, 71% of Republicans, and 68% of Independents agreeing with this statement.

• 71% of voters oppose proposals to eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, and 63% oppose efforts to reduce it. A majority are also against eliminating the deduction for interest paid on home equity loans, ending the deduction for interest paid on a second home, limiting the deduction for those earning more than $250,000 per year, or capping the deduction for home owners with mortgages over $500,000.

• By a more than a two-to-one margin (57% to 26%), voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports eliminating the mortgage interest deduction. These figures held firm across the political spectrum, with 63% of Republicans, 56% of Independents, 55% of Democrats, and 61% of tea party supporters saying they would be less likely to support a candidate who favored killing the deduction.

• Even when told that getting rid of the mortgage interest deduction would help ease the federal budget deficit, 65% of voters opposed any proposal to abolish the housing tax provision. This strong consensus cuts across partisan lines, with 69% of Republicans, 69% of Independents and 59% of Democrats opposing eliminating the deduction.

Saving for a downpayment and closing costs is the biggest barrier to home ownership.

Six federal agencies are proposing a national standard to require a minimum 20% downpayment, which would be opposed by households most likely to be affected — mortgage holders and renters ages 18 to 54. Among voters in these age groups, 59% of renters and 58% of those holding a mortgage oppose adding that obstacle to buying a home.

The polling data also shows:

• 81% of voters agree on the need to promote policies that encourage home ownership in order to rebuild the middle class, and 83% believe that a strong housing industry will provide more jobs and strengthen the economic health of local communities.

• 75% of voters say that owning a home is the best long-term investment they can make.

• 73% of voters who do not now own a home say it is a goal of theirs to eventually buy a home.

• An even greater percentage of home owners — 95% — say they are happy with their decision to own a home, and believe that owning their own home is important.

Source: NAHB