Survey finds most people believe their children will find it more difficult to rent or buy homes when they come of age
People in Scotland think today’s children will find it harder to buy or rent a home than the generation before them, according to a new survey.
The Ipsos MORI survey for Shelter Scotland shows that 90% of respondents agree it will be harder for the children of today to buy or rent a home in the future than it is today.
Launching its Manifesto for Homes ahead of May’s Holyrood election, the charity is warning that Scotland risks creating a "generational gulf" between the housing haves and have-nots unless there is a step-change in the supply of affordable housing.
The same survey of 1,028 adults aged 16 or over across Scotland 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.
And 87% of respondents agree that unless we build many more new affordable homes we will never be able to tackle the country’s housing problems.
Scotland’s housing crisis risks creating a devastating generational gulf - Graeme Brown
Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “This survey shows that the people of Scotland are worried about housing – now and in the future.
“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.”
In its Manifesto for Homes, Shelter Scotland outlines four priority actions to tackle Scotland’s housing crisis, at the heart of which is the need for all political parties to commit to ambitious targets for new affordable housing in the run up to the forthcoming election.
The charity is calling for at least a doubling of the current level of affordable housing supply to build 12,000 new affordable homes each year for the next five years.
Brown added: “Sadly, it is those on the lowest incomes and the most vulnerable people in our society who will bear the brunt of the housing crisis unless drastic and bold action is taken now.
"We want to see an end to housing-related poverty and homelessness in 21st century Scotland and our Manifesto for Homes outlines the four commitments we want all politicians to make to tackle our housing crisis head on.
“We urge all political parties to use the 12,000 target for new affordable homes as a benchmark for their ambitions to bring real hope to the thousands of people in Scotland without a suitable or affordable home while also delivering a major boost to jobs and the economy.”
