Seventy Percent

Seven in ten people in Luxembourg are worried about affordable housing. The figure comes from the latest Politmonitor survey, conducted by Ilres for RTL and Luxemburger Wort, and it has barely budged since the crisis took hold. Housing has been the number-one concern since at least June 2021.[1]

The top five concerns, in order: affordable housing (70%), the current global situation, traffic congestion, climate change, and the rise of right-wing extremism. Immigration and the economic situation, often invoked in political debate, were cited as major concerns by less than a third of respondents.[1]

Party lines

The housing concern splits along predictable political lines. Socialist Party (LSAP) voters are the most worried. Christian Social People's Party (CSV) voters are the least. It is a gap that mirrors the broader debate: those who benefit from the status quo tend to worry less about changing it.[1]

Young adults between 18 and 24 are less troubled by traffic than older cohorts, which makes sense. They are more likely to live in urban areas, use public transport, or work remotely. Traffic is a commuter's problem, and commuters skew older.

Tripartite scepticism

The recent tripartite wage agreement reached in Senningen drew a mixed response. Forty-nine percent viewed the negotiations positively, thirty-one percent negatively, and twenty percent offered no opinion. Younger people were generally more sceptical than older ones.[1]

The political split is telling: CSV voters showed the strongest support, while Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) supporters were the most opposed, with nearly half assessing the talks negatively. Democratic Party (DP) voters were lukewarm, and Greens were more favourable than Socialists.[1]

Willing to compromise

Half of respondents said they would forgo a wage indexation, the automatic cost-of-living adjustment that is a cornerstone of Luxembourg's social model. Willingness was highest among CSV voters (69%) and lowest among ADR voters (43%). Older respondents were more accepting of this trade-off than younger ones.[1]

On health contributions, 48% said they would accept higher payments to the national health fund. Green supporters were the most willing (72%), while ADR voters were the most opposed (76% against).[1]

The gap between concern and action

The survey reveals a gap between what people worry about and what they think politicians should address. Housing, climate, and security top the list of what politicians should tackle urgently. But security only ranks fourteenth among personal concerns. People want politicians to act on things they do not personally lose sleep over. That is not hypocrisy; it is the difference between personal anxiety and political priority.

Meanwhile, the housing crisis continues its long reign at the top of both lists. Five years and counting. The surveys keep measuring the problem. The problem keeps not being solved.