In September 2014 the Fabian Society, a centre-left think tank, published a report ‘Silent Majority’. The report argued that, contrary to what might be assumed, a significant number of people across the UK support the need for affordable housing.
It is undisputed by all mainstream political parties and the majority of the British public that new homes are required. Within the past couple of weeks, Labour has committed to building 200,000 homes a year to 2020, whilst the Conservatives have promised to deliver 100,000 discounted homes for young people under the scheme ‘Help-to-Buy: Starter Home.' In addition, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to build 300,000 homes a year.
The report argues that the reason why consecutive governments have failed to previously deliver an adequate supply of homes is due to the “constricting hold of public opinion against social housing being built in their local area”. The research suggests that such public opinion is a myth, with only 15 per cent of the public opposing the building of new affordable housing.
The report states that those opposed to new house building are well organised and are thus able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence on local politics. Fundamentally, those who shout loudest are able to create the false impression that their view is the view of an entire community - the NIMBY effect. In contrast, the ‘silent majority’, those in support of affordable housing, are finding they have a limited voice and representation within the housing debate.
The five main conclusions are:
1. The public know there are problems with housing in the UK and could be ready to accept a new wave of social housing: Only seven per cent of research participants believed there to be no problems with housing in the UK.
2. But people don’t clearly connect social housing building with affordability across the housing market: The public ‘framing’ of the housing problem is still undefined. Consensus that there is a problem with housing numbers does not translate to consensus on what the main solutions might be.
3. Private renting could be the platform on which more support for new housing is won: The Fabian Society research depicts that there is clear agreement that the private rented sector is not working, with an increasing number of people living in a tenure characterised by anxiety and instability.
4. There must be a new focus on addressing stigma, not on placating NIMBYs: The NIMBY problem attracts a great deal of media attention, however, there is a silent plurality or a ‘silent majority’ that can be won over to support new social housing.
5. Government should reduce the physical differences between tenure types: New social housing is more likely to be supported if it doesn’t look aesthetically different to private housing. If new affordable housing is indistinguishable from new private housing, then people are more attuned to the idea.
The full report can be found here.