Channel 4 survey: 59% believe they'll never be able to afford own home

5 December 2011

A Channel 4 survey for The Great British Property Scandal season has found that 59% of renters don't believe they will ever be able to afford their own property.

A staggering 76%  of British adults think there is a housing crisis in Britain, and 63% do not believe that housing will become more affordable over the next two years.

A fifth of Britons (19%) say they are concerned about their ability to pay their rent or mortgage at the moment, and the same proportion (20%) say they are worried about meeting payments in the next 12 months.

37% predict they would struggle to meet their monthly rent or mortgage payments if these went up by up to £99 a month - and 21% say they'd struggle if payments went up by as little as £49 a month.

Asked what they would cut back on if they struggled to meet rent and mortgage payments, 35% say they would cut spending on holidays, 32% on leisure and going out, 21% would cut back on clothing and footwear, and 19% on cigarettes and alcohol.

Asked what they think should be the highest priority for the Government, 44% say they want the Government to focus on building more affordable homes, a third want the Government to prioritise reducing the number of empty homes, and a third want it to be easier for first time buyers to own a home. 27% want improving run down estates and neighbourhoods to be a Government priority, and 17% want the Government to focus on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.

The survey was commissioned by Channel 4 and conducted by Ipsos MORI shortly before the publication of the Government's Housing Strategy to coincide with The Great British Property Scandal season, which starts on 5 December. Channel 4 will investigate some of the complex and varied issues that have contributed to the housing crisis and speak to some of the people affected by it. Fronted by George Clarke, Phil Spencer, Kevin McCloud and Jon Snow, each programme of the season aims to raise awareness and showcase some possible solutions.  Find out more at www.channel4.com/propertyscandal .

 

The Channel 4 survey found that:

• 59% of renters don't believe they will ever be able to afford to buy a home
• 76% of British adults say they agree that Britain is in a housing crisis
• 63% say they do not believe that housing will become more affordable over the next two years, while 17% said they do
• 58% agree that having a mortgage is more risky than it used to be
• 19% are concerned about their ability to pay their rent or mortgage at the moment / 20% are concerned about their ability to pay their rent or mortgage in the next 12 months
• 37% say they would struggle to meet monthly rent or mortgage payments if they went up by up to £99 a month. This breaks down as:

13% say they would struggle if payments went up by up to £24 a month

                8% say they would struggle if payments went up by £24-£49 a month

                9% say they would struggle if payments went up by £50-£74 a month

                7% say they would struggle if payments went up by £74-£99 a month

• Respondents say they would cut back on the following to make sure they could pay their rent or mortgage: 35% would cut back on holidays / 32% would cut back on leisure and going out / 21% would cut back on clothing and footwear / 19% would cut back on cigarettes and alcohol / 11% would cut back on food and groceries / 11% would cut back on petrol and car costs / 9% would cut back on energy, heating and lighting / 6% would cut back on savings and pension payments
• Government priorities (respondents were given a list of seven options): 44% say they want the government to make building more affordable homes the highest priority; 33% say they want making it easier for first time buyers to own or part-own a home to be a priority, 33% want the government to focus on reducing the number of empty homes; 27% want improving run down estates and neighbourhoods to be a government priority; 17% want the government to focus on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.

Ben Marshall, Research Director at Ipsos MORI, said: "Our poll for Channel 4 shows that people are feeling the housing crisis quite acutely. 30% of renters say they would find monthly rent rises of up to £49 difficult to afford.  And among all groups, there is real pessimism about affordability improving and, with it, the chances for renters to get on the property ladder. "

 

Notes to Editors

 

The Great British Property Scandal season starts on Channel 4 on 5 December and includes:

Dispatches: Landlords from hell, Monday 5th December, 8.30pm

The Great British Property Scandal, Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th December, 9pm

Phil's Empty Homes Giveaway, Wednesday 7th December, 9pm

Kevin's Grand Design, Thursday 8th and Thursday 15th December, 8pm

For more information about The Great British Property Scandal and to find out how to support the campaign visit  www.channel4.com/properyscandal or follow us on Twitter @propertyscandal.

The survey

Ipsos MORI surveyed 1,006 British adults aged 16+. Interviews were undertaken face to face with a representative sample using 155 sampling points across Britain. Data are weighted to the national population profile by age, sex, working status, region, ethnicity, and tenure.  The survey was conducted 11-17 November, a few days before the government published its Housing Strategy.

Full details on the survey methodology, questionnaire and findings can be found at: www.ipsos-mori.com