Two in three people believe there is plenty society can do to end homelessness

The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales has today unveiled findings of new research into public attitudes towards homelessness, undertaken by Ipsos as Research Partner of the Homewards programme. 

Launched by Prince William, Homewards is a five-year locally led programme which will demonstrate that together, it is possible to end homelessness, making it rare, brief and unrepeated. 

The research involved a survey by Ipsos to measure public perceptions of homelessness and prospects for ending it, to establish a baseline from which to track changes in opinion (design of the survey was informed by qualitative research conducted last year). This reflects Homewards’ ambition to improve society’s understanding of homelessness and boost optimism that it can be ended. 
 

Key findings in detail 

1. Homelessness is seen as a serious issue across the UK. 8 in 10 people think homelessness is a serious issue in their country - almost 9 in 10 in Scotland and England – although people are more likely to see it as a problem nationally than in their local area. Two in ten have some experience of homelessness either personally or through a family member or friend.
2. Three-quarters of people think that homelessness has got worse in the UK in the past 12 months and most of this group (82%) think it will continue to get worse in the next 12 months.
3. There is, however, a sense of opportunity. Two in three (65%) think there are plenty of things society can do to end homelessness. There is also a feeling though that successful intervention would have positive impacts beyond the individuals supported, alleviating pressure on public services, benefiting local communities and the country as a whole.
4. There is a gap in people’s understanding of homelessness. The default definition tends to be narrow and focused on visible homelessness with rough sleeping top-of-mind. However, people recognise the wider definition including ‘hidden homelessness’, and there is a general acceptance that homelessness can be defined as experienced by anyone without a stable and permanent home.
5. There is empathy for people who experience homelessness or who are unable to find a solution to their situation as well as a recognition that a single, unexpected event could lead to homelessness. 8 in 10 people believe that homelessness can happen to anyone and just under 6 in 10 agree that most people who are homeless are in that situation because of things outside their control.
6. 9 in 10 think there are lots of causes of homelessness. For example, poverty and alcohol or drugs problems were selected most often by survey respondents from a list of potential causes of homelessness. Causes are seen by people as being complex and interconnected, feeding concerns about whether ‘ending’ homelessness is possible. 
7. There is a strong sense that as a society we’re not devoting enough attention to ending homelessness; three-quarters (73%) hold this view. Half think that charities are doing about the right amount (1 in 10 think they are doing too much) and there is a consistent view that others are doing too little. There is, though, low awareness of current efforts; 7 in 10 say they don’t know what is being done to address homelessness.
8. Just as the causes of homelessness are seen to include social/structural factors, so attempts to address it will necessarily involve a collective effort from a range of public and private sector organisations. Just 13% of people are confident that councils, government, charities and businesses will work together to tackle homelessness in the next few years.
9. 7 in 10 (72%) support the aim of ‘ending’ homelessness by making it rare, brief and unrepeated.
10. Demonstrating that homelessness can and has been ended with facts, figures and case studies has the potential to engage the public and help to shift perceptions into more positive territory.

Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, said: 

We are delighted to be partnering with the Royal Foundation on Homewards.  This is a programme that has the potential to bring about real change to the long-term issue of homelessness in the UK.  With 1 in 5 people having some experience of homelessness, either directly or via friends or family, it is clear that this is an issue that impacts a large number of people.
The public think that homelessness is likely to increase in the year ahead. But our research also suggests that it is far from a lost cause - nearly three-quarters of people support Homewards’ aim of ending homelessness and the majority think that society can do more to make this a reality

Technical note: 

• The Ipsos KnowledgePanel was used to survey a representative sample of 3,473 UK adults between 5-10 May 2023. The data was weighted separately within England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by age, gender, region, index of multiple deprivation quintiles, education, ethnicity and number of adults in the household, and then scaled proportionately to reflect the profile of the UK population as a whole. All polls are subject to a range of potential sources of error.
• Ipsos conducted six online focus group discussions between 22-28 November 2022. 
• Further detail is available within Key findings reports.