New report unveils key insights into the housing preferences of older people in the UK

A new report published today, Older People’s Housing Preferences, offers critical and comprehensive evidence about the housing circumstances, aspirations and preferences of older adults in the UK. Produced by the Housing LIN in partnership with Ipsos, with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Based on a representative survey of over 5,500 UK adults aged 50 and over, the research sheds light on the housing preferences of older adults, their likelihood of moving in later life and the integral role housing plays in supporting the health and well-being of an ageing population. With one-quarter of the UK’s population projected to be aged 65 or older by 2043, the findings highlight the urgent need for innovative housing policies and solutions to meet the demands of a rapidly ageing society.

Speaking on the findings, George MacGinnis, Healthy Ageing Challenge Director at UK Research and Innovation, said:

“I welcome this report on Older People’s Housing Preferences. Over the last 5 years housing has featured as a major element of UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge, with investments ranging from research into preferences in later life through to embedding innovative designs for accessible homes into new developments. That is a start, and as the recently published Older People’s Housing Task Force report notes there is a huge unmet need, a wide array of housing options, and no single best model. This report, along with the planning tool it supports, provides robust evidence to guide local planning decisions that meet aspirations for appropriate and affordable housing in later life.”

Stephen Finlay, Research Director at Ipsos, commented:

"This report provides a rich and valuable evidence base to help understand the housing needs, preferences and aspirations of people in later life. It highlights the importance of “ageing in place” but also the need for diverse housing options that cater to older people’s evolving requirements. It underscores the importance of age-appropriate adaptations, affordable housing and community integration, offering policymakers and sector specialists crucial insights to support strategic planning and delivery of suitable housing solutions for older adults."

From the Housing LIN’s perspective, Jeremy Porteus, Chief Executive, added:

"We are immensely grateful to the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge for their support. This enabled us to commission and work with Ipsos to undertake the largest survey of its type with older people, surveying a representative sample of 5,600 older people in the UK, about their housing preferences in later life.

The publication of this report, with the richness and detail of the findings, provides statistically robust data and evidence about older people’s housing preferences to inform national and local policy making and offers a fresh perspective in terms of planning for the future housing supply required for an ageing population, based on what older people have told us.

This report is hot on the heels of last month's Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, which identified that, as a nation, we are building less than 7,000 homes per annum for people in later life, pointing to a considerable under-supply of new housing suited to the needs of older people. Our findings confirm a need for housing better suited to older people, both mainstream and specialist housing across all tenures. This evidence of what older people say they want in relation to housing choices and their likelihood of moving, reveals that a more granular approach is required to both understand and respond to the market for different types of age-appropriate and age-designated housing that people want."