Perspectives or Misperceptions? Why Better Land-Use Data Are Critical to Housing Policy Debates

Research correlating stringency in land-use regulation to low housing supply, high housing costs, and segregation relies on surveys of planners about land-use regulation. Housing policy reform proposals rely on much of this same research. We assess the reliability and validity of questions from three surveys using objective data on land-use regulation and its application. Response errors indicate that planners systematically underestimate the stringency effects of local regulation while overestimating the impact of state law. This signals potential bias that may skew some analysis. Scholars should account for this potential bias when analyzing survey data to inform land-use policy debates.