U.S., European homeowners optimistic about prices: poll

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Worried about the housing crisis? The majority of American and European homeowners believe the future is looking brighter, according to a new poll.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are confident the value of their homes will increase in five years, the online survey of 6,220 adults questioned by Harris Interactive showed.

The optimism extends across the Atlantic where 64 percent of homeowners in Italy, 57 percent in Spain and more than half in Great Britain believe the value of their home will rise.

"When you ask people about the next year, yes, you see the doom and gloom but yet five years from now, everyone is hoping that we've turned the corner and that the housing prices will go up," Regina Corso, of Harris, said in an interview.

The most surprising outcome of the survey was the small number of people concerned about losing their homes because they could not make mortgage payments, Corso said.

Sixty-one percent of Americans were not worried about making their mortgage payments, while 67 percent of homeowners in France and 62 percent in Germany showed little concern.

"I was pleasantly surprised. So many really say 'No, we may be having trouble but we're going to make it and we're not going to lose our homes.' It's a comforting thought," Corso said.

Results remain mixed on whether governments should offer help to homeowners by lowering property taxes or subsidizing mortgage rates.

At least 72 percent of Italians believe the government should be heavily involved in supporting the property market, while one quarter of Americans believe the government should have no involvement.

"There is that worry that the government might have gotten us into this trouble in the first place, so let's make sure they don't have another chance," Corso said about the American response.

(Reporting by Ashleigh Patterson; editing by Patricia Reaney)