There is a severe lack of affordable housing in South East England and the Government wants to build many more homes. The Housing Futures project, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, tested the reaction of the general public to development options that would increase the supply of housing.

The findings are based on interviews and workshops with local and national stakeholders together with a survey of public opinion reporting the views of over 1,400 people in three towns in South East England. The research was carried out by CAR in the spring and summer of 2003.

Approach
The approach used in the Housing Futures study was to provide an overview of the issues involved in providing more homes. People were offered alternatives and the outcomes of these options were described in simple meaningful terms.

The underlying rationale is that if the pros and cons of different development options are explained simply and unambiguously, members of the general public are able to express clear preferences which can inform planning policy. Tackling the issues at a strategic level, as opposed to concrete proposals for a specific site, reveals people’s underlying opinions about how we should develop as a society rather than their personal selfish interests or prejudice.

The method was in three parts:

Interviews: Over 50 interviews were conducted with national and local experts.

Expert panels: The content of the survey, in particular the consequences of different options, was developed and tested in a series of focus groups.

Public opinion survey: The survey was made available on laptops at exhibitions in four shopping centres. Paper versions were also available at public libraries, hospital waiting rooms and building societies. The survey was also accessible on the web.

A total of 1,428 people completed the survey. The pattern of age, employment and tenure almost exactly matches the 2001 Census in each of the three areas surveyed.

The interviewers also talked to about one in five people. Some of these conversations were fairly lengthy. Together, these written comments and conversations gave a vivid impression of people’s attitudes and ideas which helped inform the inferences made of the quantitative findings.

Download Report (PDF 106 Kb) - [Housing Futures Findings]