Real estate continues to rank at the top of the list of the best long-term investments for Americans, according to the latest annual poll from Gallup. About 35% of Americans picked it as their favorite investment, which has been the case since 2013.
Meanwhile, Americans are less likely to view stocks or mutual funds as the best long-term investment, particularly waning after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the economy this spring. Twenty-one percent of Americans picked stocks as the best investment, down 6 percentage points from a year ago and at the lowest reading since Gallup started collecting such data in 2012.
Only about one in six Americans view savings accounts or CDs (17%) and gold (16%) as their favored long-term investment.
During the subprime mortgage crisis in 2011 and 2012, real estate was viewed as more risky, and gold finished first as the best long-term investment during that time. But as real estate values continue to climb in recent years, gold has faded and real estate’s investment potential has steadily risen in popularity.
Source: “Stock Investments Lose Some Luster After COVID-19 Sell-Off,” Gallup.com (2020)
