57% of the UK public think there will always be significant levels of homelessness

The new Ipsos poll commissioned by St. Mungos, a leading homelessness charity in the country, highlights that 57 per cent of surveyed people think that there will always be significant levels of homelessness in the UK.

The survey also highlights that people’s worries around homelessness (27%) are overshadowed by broader concerns around the cost-of-living crisis, with 70% of respondents worried about inflation.

The survey results also point to some gaps in understanding around the role of Outreach workers. Some 79% of respondents said they have heard of ('I knew a great deal about them/ I knew a fair amount about them/ I knew just a little about them/ I have heard of them, but knew nothing about them') Outreach workers who work with people experiencing homelessness.

Of these, some 56% knew that Outreach workers can help to access secure housing or shelter for people who need it, such as shelters and temporary accommodation. According to St Mungo’s, this is the main responsibility in frontline workers role. Secure housing and shelter in places like hostels are the best places for those experiencing homelessness to begin rebuilding their lives.

However, the majority (57%) said they were aware of the role of Outreach workers in distributing essential items, such as food, water, and clothing.

Technical Notes

On behalf of St. Mungo’s, Ipsos ran two surveys:

• A representative quota sample of 2290 adults aged 16-75 in the UK using its online i:omnibus between 6th – 9th September 2024. 
• A representative quota sample of 2251 aged 16-75 in the UK using its online i:omnibus between 13th – 17th September 2024 respectively. 
• The second survey covered Q8 (i.e. things people have done to donate/provide support for people experiencing homelessness) and Q9 (i.e. reasons why respondents have not supported people experiencing homelessness in the last 12 months). All other questions were asked in the first survey.
• The data for both surveys has been weighted to the known offline population proportions of this audience for age, working status and social grade within gender and government office region.

For the purpose of this survey, when referring to ‘homelessness or people experiencing homelessness’ we mean people who do not have a home to live in. This may be:

• People sleeping rough - these may include people who typically sleep on the streets, in the parks, doorways, vehicles, abandoned buildings, etc.
• Some people who do not have fixed and regular housing who may be staying in temporary accommodation (e.g., hostels, B&B, sofa surfing, etc.)

There was a pre-coded list of 15 issues which was asked to UK adults to understand issues the people in the UK may be facing currently, and which worries them the most:

1. The economy 
2. Cost of living increases / inflation
3. Pollution (e.g., air pollution, water pollution, etc.)
4. Levels of homelessness 
5. Immigration control
6. Crime and violence
7. Healthcare
8. Housing
9. Education
10. Unemployment
11. Poverty or social inequality
12. Corruption (e.g., financial, political, etc.)
13. Military conflict between nations 
14. Terrorism
15. Civil war