1 in 4 voters are affected by the housing emergency

Shelter’s new research, conducted by Opinium, finds that 1 in 4 voters are affected by the housing emergency.

This research of 1,804 adults in England, 1,634 of who were voters, was conducted online between 30 August – 1 September 2023. Data has been weighted to be nationally and politically representative. 1 in 4 voters affected by the housing emergency represents all those affected directly or who have friends or family experiencing housing difficulties.

Q. Are you personally or someone close to you such as a partner, family member or good friend experiencing housing difficulties?  This could include:   

• Street homelessness  

• Living in shelters or B&Bs • squatting (living in an abandoned or unoccupied land or building)  

• ‘Sofa’ surfing (staying with a series of different friends or relatives because of not having their own place where they can stay)  

• Living in housing that is in poor condition  

• Sharing a room with someone who is not a partner and who is of a different sex (excluding people aged 10 or under)  

• Struggling to afford your housing costs (such as cutting behind on other things to afford housing costs or falling behind with rent/mortgage)