Haha, Revealed Preferences show that people don’t abhor them as much as they say. They choose to live there for all the lovely things they provide and enforce.

Do they choose to live within HOA neighborhoods, or do they have little choice given that over half of the residential homes in the USA are bound by one? I would like to see if your source claims people like the HOA or if they are forced to tolerate them due to lack of options.

Developers in the US have no choice; the city/county won't permit a subdivision without an HOA.

Developers love HOAs, they initially (until the development is largely sold) completely control them and they are a tool for maintaining the image they want to sell later units. No one is forcing developers to have HOAs. (If there is policy favoring them, it was lobbied for by developers.)

It also allows them to reclaim and resell units while swindling the people who bought the lot.