Research: Populus policy testing

In 2014, Shelter commissioned the polling company Populus to test public opinion on a range of different ways to get more homes built. Populus interviewed 4,106 adults (18+) in Great Britain online between 16 and 22 May 2014. Results were weighted to be demographically representative of all British adults.The research explored British adults attitudes towards seven housing policies, outlined below: 

• Let young families put down roots by giving local people the chance to buy new homes built in their area before landlords or foreign investors

• Lower the cost of getting on the housing ladder through building homes and selling them to first time-buyers at a discount, which they would pass on when they come to sell

• The government giving banks guarantees to encourage them to offer people 95% mortgages

• Help local families onto the ladder by building a new generation of quality council homes with a right to buy

• Help first-time buyers avoid throwing dead money at expensive rents by building new quality homes where every rent payment goes towards owning the house

• Remove the need for high deposits by building quality new homes that first-time buyers can buy without a deposit

• Build a new generation of good quality 'part-buy, part-rent' homes. People would buy a stake in a home with a mortgage and pay an affordable rent on the remaining share. They would have the option to scale up their ownership share if their salary increases