Most Scots think that future generations will struggle to buy or rent a home

In an Ipsos poll carried out for the housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland, the vast majority of Scots think that the children of today will find it harder to buy or rent a home than the generation before them.

The survey found that 90% of respondents agree that it will be harder for the children of today to buy or rent a home in the future than it is today. It also found that 69% agree that it is harder for them to buy or rent a home now than it was for their parents’ generation when they were of a similar age. Most Scots (87%) also agree that unless we build many more new affordable homes we will never be able to tackle the country’s housing problems.

As Shelter Scotland launches its Manifesto for Homes ahead of May’s Holyrood election, the charity warns that Scotland risks creating a generational gulf between the housing haves and have-nots. Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland said:

“Scotland’s housing crisis risks creating a devastating generational gulf between the housing haves and have nots. The high cost of housing and the stuttering supply of new affordable homes set against high and rising demand are at the heart of this crisis. The results of this survey show us that households are concerned about their own current housing situation, but they also fear for their children and the next generation’s prospects to find and keep a safe, secure and affordable home."

Mark Diffley, Research Director at Ipsos Scotland spoke with Shelter Scotland to discuss the results of the survey. His views can be heard in this podcast.

Technical details:

• Results are based on a survey of 1,028 respondents (adults aged 16+) conducted by telephone
• Fieldwork dates: 9th November to 16th November 2015
• Data are weighted by: age, sex and working status using census data; tenure using Scottish Household Survey data; and public-private sector employment using Scottish Government Quarterly Public Sector Employment series data
• Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don’t know” categories
• Results are based on all respondents (1,028) unless otherwise stated