New research from Ipsos MORI finds the major housing parties included in Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos are popular, but the public also have strong doubts that anyone will improve housing if elected.

1. © Ipsos | Doc Name | Month Year | Version # | Public | Internal/Client Use Only | Strictly Confidential
IPSOS MORI
CAMPAIGN TRACKER –
HOUSING
DECEMBER 2019

2. 2
Confidence in
delivery
How confident, if at all, are you
that each of the following
parties will improve housing in
Britain, if they are in
government after the general
election on 12 December?
13
7
4
24
23
20
29
30
33
24
30
30
10
10
13
Labour
Conservatives
Liberal Democrats
% Very confident % Fairly confident % Not very confident % Not at all confident % DK
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019

3. 7
26
27
21
14
5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
Borrow and tax to build?
8
27
29
19
11
6
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
36%
Support
30%
Oppose
3
To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose Government borrowing money / raising taxes to fund
the building of more affordable housing for people to buy or rent in Britain?
Borrowing money Raising taxes
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
33%
Support
35%
Oppose

4. Housing and politics
4
3
3
4
21
15
13
33
30
20
26
32
31
11
13
27
6
6
6
I know a lot about the political parties’ policies on
housing
The political parties pay a lot of attention to
housing
There isn’t much that British governments can do
to deal with the country’s housing problems
% Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Neither/nor
% Tend to disagree % Strongly disagree % DK
To what extent, if at all, do you
agree or disagree with the
following statements about
housing in Britain?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019

5. Housing policies –
GE 2019
Now for some questions about
some of the housing policies
being proposed by some of the
political parties at the 2019
general election.
To what extent, if at all, do you
support or oppose each of these
in principle?
5
37
31
31
23
19
16
16
38
39
34
33
37
40
30
17
16
16
23
24
23
24
2
4
9
10
12
11
14
1
4
5
6
4
4
11
5
4
5
6
5
5
5
Ensure infrastructure, such as GPs and schools, is
provided before new housing is built
Introduce rent controls in England so that rents in
the private sector do not rise by more than the
national inflation rate
Give powers to local councils allowing them to
increase council tax on second homes and homes
that are left empty for more than six months
Build 100,000 council homes and 50,000 housing
association properties a year in England for the
next five years
Build new “First Homes” which will be sold at a
30% discount to first-time buyers
Introduce a ‘Help to Rent’ scheme in which the
government would loan money to first-time renters
having difficulty raising a deposit
Extend Right to Buy to those who rent their homes
from housing associations
% Strongly support % Tend to support % Neither/nor
% Tend to oppose % Strongly oppose % DK
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019

6. Rent controls
6
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Introduce rent controls
in England so that rents
in the private sector do
not rise by more than
the national inflation rate
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
31
39
16
4 4 4
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
71%
Support
9%
Oppose

7. Build 100,000 council
homes and 50,000 housing
association properties a
year in England for the
next five years
7
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Social housing building
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
23
33
23
10
6
6
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
56%
Support
15%
Oppose

8. Extend Right to Buy to
those who rent their homes
from housing associations
8
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
Right to Buy
16
30
24
14
11
5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
46%
Support
25%
Oppose

9. “First Homes”
9
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
Build new “First Homes”
which will be sold at a 30%
discount to first-time buyers
19
37
24
12
4 5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
56%
Support
16%
Oppose

10. ‘Infrastructure first’
10
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
Ensure infrastructure, such
as GPs and schools, is
provided before new
housing is built
37
38
17
2
1 5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
75%
Support
3%
Oppose

11. Strengthen powers of local councils
11
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
Give powers to local councils
allowing them to increase council
tax on second homes and homes
that are left empty for more than
six months
31
34
16
9
5 5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
65%
Support
14%
Oppose

12. ‘Help to Rent’ scheme
12
Now for some questions about some of the housing policies being proposed by some of the political
parties at the 2019 general election. To what extent, if at all, do you support or oppose each of these in
principle?
Base: 1,126 adults 18+ (online), 29 November – 2 December 2019
Introduce a ‘Help to Rent’ scheme
in which the government would
loan money to first-time renters
having difficulty raising a deposit
16
40
23
11
4 5
% Strongly support % Tend to support
% Neither/nor % Tend to oppose
% Strongly oppose % Don't know
56%
Support
16%
Oppose

13. Ben Marshall
Research Director
ben.marshall@ipsos.com
Ipsos MORI
Campaign tracker – housing
For more information