Affordable Housing
No surprise it is a top priority for Australians
Recent survey work by demographic profiler profile.id found that ‘affordable decent housing’ is the third most important attribute to liveability across Australia.
The key word here is ‘decent’. In other words, an ‘acceptable standard of housing’. Easy to say, harder these days to define and find.
These difficulties aside, some 52% of respondents listed this feature in their top five attributes in making somewhere a good place to live. And it’s increased in importance significantly from 46% in 2023.
When breaking down the numbers, being able to access affordable housing, sits at the bottom of the list of positive traits with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10 during the profile.id Living in Australia 2024 poll.
But not all of us are affected the same way by this issue. Access to affordable housing is more important to younger folks – especially those aged between 18 and 34 years – and renters.
Two-thirds of 18 to 34 year olds (66%) and just over two-thirds of renters (68%) put ‘affordable decent housing’ in their top five values.
Below is the current list of top ten important attributes that make someplace s good place to live.
Given the recent and swelling domestic social upheaval, its lowly 26% rating in 2024, is likely to lift, and maybe with a bullet, in future liveability surveys.
Sadly, there doesn’t look like there isn’t any relief on the housing front either. Yet, there are big steps that can be taken to resolve this issue and quickly.
Next week I will outline how I think we can fix this problem. There will be no big announcements – frankly it should be as plain as the beard on my face - and to those that have been reading my blurb for a while, you could safely guess what I will say.
But my messaging hasn’t hit the mainstream yet and so I think it is time for me to articulate my position (again).
The second table this post shows that in general two-thirds of us seem happy about where we live.
This survey passes the pub test better than those polls that strive to list select cities as the best place to live.
I remember seeing Jackson Browne – youngsters google him – in Melbourne a few years back when that city was apparently the best place to live. He congratulated the audience and asked what it felt like. And then he quipped that it must be a real bummer if you didn’t dig the joint.
But I digress!
Worth noting is that people are say they are happier living in our capitals when compared to the regions.
And despite Queensland attracting more interstate migrants than any other state or territory, the three places polled in the Sunshine State – being the southeast corner of the state, the far north and central Queensland – all have scored lower overall satisfaction scores when compared to the relevant averages and/or other similar sized locations.
Yet housing is generally cheaper in the Australian regions than the capitals and Queensland remains cheaper, still in many cases, than living in NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
So, what is going on?
I have often wisecracked when asked about Queensland’s positive interstate migration that “poverty isn’t always better in a warmer climate.”
But there is something deeper going on here.
For mine, many who move to a regional location (or southeast Queensland) are pushed out from their previous locality rather than pulled to their new place of residence.
Pulled, I reckon, leads to higher levels of fulfilment. Pushed is likely to see many remaining peeved. (I can’t get no) Satisfaction. Not JB but from another favourite.
Comments?
PS I see Jackson every time to visits our shores. Sometimes more than once per tour. And I am old enough to have seen the Rolling Stones a few times too. Plus, we were pulled to Tassie, not pushed out of Brisbane!