A consistent finding across multiple polls conducted in the first half of 2026 is that 72% of British adults believe the housing affordability crisis is getting worse, not better. This figure — drawn from a YouGov survey of 2,500 GB adults conducted in April 2026 — represents a deeply difficult political environment for a Labour government that made housing central to its 2024 manifesto.
The Core Finding: 72% Say Worse
The YouGov April 2026 data asked respondents: “Compared to two years ago, do you think housing affordability in Britain is better, worse, or about the same?” The results were stark: 72% said worse, 18% said about the same, and just 10% said better. The “worse” figure rose to 81% among 25–44 year olds — the age group most acutely affected by high rents and unaffordable mortgage deposits.
Corroborating data from Ipsos’ monthly issues tracker shows housing consistently ranking as a top-five concern for British voters, behind only the NHS, the economy, and immigration. In March 2026, 38% of respondents aged 18–34 cited housing as their top personal concern — higher than any other issue and up from 29% in the equivalent poll two years earlier.
The Numbers Behind the Sentiment
The polling sentiment reflects measurable reality. Average UK house prices in March 2026 stood at £285,000 — approximately 8.4 times average earnings, up from 7.9 times in 2022. In London and the South East, the ratio is considerably higher, with the average London property requiring a deposit of over £90,000 for a typical 90% LTV mortgage.
Private rental costs have risen by approximately 14% in nominal terms since 2023, driven by high mortgage costs feeding through to landlord pricing and persistent undersupply of rental stock. The English Housing Survey for 2025 recorded a continued fall in owner-occupation rates among 25–34 year olds, now at 38% — the lowest level since consistent records began in the 1980s.
Regional Breakdown: London vs the Rest
Regional polling reveals significant variation in how voters experience and assess the housing crisis. In London, 84% of respondents said affordability was getting worse, the highest figure in any region. The South East and East of England recorded 78–80%. The North East, North West, and Scotland showed lower but still majority concern at 61–65%.
This regional pattern has direct political implications. The constituencies where housing frustration is most intense — London, the outer ring, university towns — are not uniformly distributed across parties. Labour holds most London seats; the Lib Dems hold many Home Counties seats; the Greens are strongest in Bristol and Brighton. Housing anger therefore cuts across multiple parties rather than benefiting a single opposition force.
Which Party Do Voters Trust on Housing?
A Savanta poll from March 2026 asked: “Which party do you most trust to improve housing affordability?” The responses offered little comfort to any party. Labour led on 26%, but only among its own voters: among the broader electorate, the plurality answer was “none of them” at 34%. Conservative support on housing stood at 14%, Greens at 10%, Reform at 9%, Lib Dems at 7%.
The “none of them” plurality is politically significant. It suggests that housing has become a systemic-distrust issue rather than a partisan wedge — voters are angry but have not identified a political vehicle for that anger. This is consistent with the pattern seen on cost of living polling, where diffuse anger has not been effectively captured by any single party.
Policy Preferences in the Polling
Polling on policy solutions reveals a complex picture. Building more homes on greenbelt land — one of the Labour government’s proposed mechanisms for increasing supply — polls at 41% support nationally, but drops to 31% among homeowners and 29% in rural constituencies. Rent control polled at 58% support in a YouGov survey from February 2026, but with significant caveats in the methodology around how the question was framed.
Help-to-buy style government interventions retain broad support at 63%, though economists argue they tend to inflate prices rather than improve affordability. The political challenge for any government is that the most economically effective interventions — large-scale social housebuilding, reform of planning law — require sustained investment and political capital over years, while the public expectation is for visible near-term improvement.
Housing and the 2029 Election
With a general election likely in 2029, the housing crisis is positioned to be one of the defining political issues. The Labour government has committed to building 1.5 million homes over its parliament — a figure that will be tracked closely against quarterly completions data. If the government hits 60–70% of its target, housing concern may moderate; if it falls materially short, the political consequences could be severe among the young voters who backed Labour in 2024 and for whom affordable homes are the defining quality-of-life question. Related: voting intention tracker →