In Gallup’s 2026 poll on investment preferences, real estate topped Americans’ choices as the best long-term investment with 38 percent, while stocks and mutual funds came in second at just 20 percent. The survey, which asks respondents to choose among six investment options, reflects a persistent pattern: Americans have consistently favored real estate over stocks for more than a decade.
Gallup has posed the same question annually since 2007, and real estate has led every year since 2013. The full breakdown of the 2026 results shows gold at 18 percent, savings accounts and certificates of deposit at 12 percent, bonds at 4 percent, and cryptocurrency at 2 percent.
The gap between real estate and stocks is striking given that financial experts routinely recommend stocks as the superior long-term investment. Over the 40 years through 2025, the S&P 500 delivered an average annual return of 11.5 percent, according to Fidelity. From 1992 to 2024, the S&P yielded an average return of 10.4 percent per year, while home prices grew by about 5.5 percent annually, according to data cited by investment experts.
Real estate appeals to Americans for reasons that have little to do with raw returns. “Real estate is the investment that the most survey respondents understand,” said Matt Frankel, a certified financial planner at The Motley Fool. “Real estate has historically gone up almost every year. There are very few times in history when real estate has gone backwards.”
Ownership patterns help explain the preference. Roughly two-thirds of American households own their primary residence, according to the Federal Survey of Consumer Finances from 2022, while only 21 percent of households own directly held stocks. For many Americans, a home functions like a savings account, building equity through mortgage payments and gradual appreciation. Mortgage rates have hovered near 6.5 percent, affecting affordability but not the emotional appeal of homeownership.
Investors also distrust stocks based on past experience. “Investors had a very poor experience in stocks in the 2007 to 2009 period,” said Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar. “It’s difficult to like stocks, at times.” In 2008, as the Great Recession descended, Americans picked savings accounts as their favorite investment. The S&P 500 lost nearly 40 percent of its value that year, while the housing market collapsed.
When Gallup added gold to the survey in 2011, it won the top spot in 2011 and 2012, reflecting Americans’ search for safety during uncertain economic times. Yet real estate has dominated since the housing market’s recovery began.
Investment experts argue that perception doesn’t match performance. “The best long-term investment, without question, is the stock market,” said Caleb Silver, editor in chief of Investopedia. Over the past 30 years, stock prices have risen at four times the pace of home prices, according to analysis from The Motley Fool. Yet safer doesn’t always mean better to survey respondents seeking stability and tangible assets they can control.
Sources
- USA Today — 2026 Gallup poll results, historical investment preferences, expert commentary on real estate versus stocks
- Gallup News — Historical poll data showing real estate leading since 2013
- Fidelity — S&P 500 historical returns data
