Survey shows support for new home construction has increased

July 2014

Survey shows support for new home construction has increased: Findings from the latest British Social Attitudes survey show that the number of people who oppose new homes being built in their local area has decreased.

In 2010’s edition of the survey, almost half (46%) of those questioned said they opposed to new homes being built nearby, almost three in ten (28%) supported the idea and around one quarter (23%) said neither.

In 2013’s study though, the number of people who said they support the initiative rose by almost one fifth to reach 47% - more than one in ten (11%) said they strongly support new homes being built (+6% from 2010).

Just three in 10 (31%) participants said they opposed to new homes being built in their area in the latest survey – 15% less than in 2010. The number of people who strongly opposed almost halved too, shrinking from around one sixth (15%) to 8%.

Findings suggested that homeowners (37%) were more likely to be against the initiative than renters – local authority tenants (17%), private tenants (20%) and housing association tenants (21%).

Furthermore, respondents aged between 35 and 54 (36%) were marginally more likely to oppose the building of new homes than the average (31%). The over 65 category has become significantly more accustomed to the idea over the last three years, with just three in ten (30%) now against the idea, compared to the over half (52%) in 2010.

Household income appeared to have very little impact on opinions.

Opposition for new home construction was highest in small cities and towns (34%), country villages (32%) and suburbs (32%), and lowest in large cities (17%).

According to the study’s results, employment opportunities (17%), medical facilities (11%), low cost home ownership (11%) and transport links (10%) were the top factors that would make people more supportive of new homes.

Schools (9%), affordable homes to rent (9%), green spaces (9%), leisure facilities (8%), better design of new homes (4%), shops (3%), financial incentives to residents (2%) and libraries (1%) also featured as potential benefits.

And, finally, almost half (47%) of the survey’s respondents said they would be more supportive if the government provided local councils with more money to spend on local services for every new home built in their area.

Almost one in ten (9%) said this would make them much more supportive and around two fifths (38%) said it would make them more supportive. Half (50%) said it would not change their opinion and 2% stated it would make them more opposed.