More than one in four voters believe housing should be one of the top priorities for the next Government, according to national research carried out by Leeds Building Society.
Housing was the fourth most important issue overall, with 27% putting it in the top three, behind only the health service, the economy and immigration.
There was a clear split in importance between voters of the two main parties, with 33% of those intending to vote for Labour saying housing was a priority compared with 17% of likely Conservative voters.
A nationally representative sample of 2,000 people took part in the research between 29th May and 1st June.
Six out of 10 future voters (62%) said the cost of housing was important to them, and 26% said it was likely or very likely to impact how they voted, including 19% of those who were undecided.
Building more affordable homes rated highest among solution areas for the next Government, with 41% of respondents choosing it as a priority.
Giving support to first-time buyers through Government incentive schemes like Help to Buy was the second favourite individual priority, chosen by 26% of voters.
Building more of some form of housing – such as those for social rent or for later life – was selected by 71% of people as a priority.
Richard Fearon, chief executive at Leeds Building Society, said: “We’re dealing with a homeownership crisis which has been decades in the making and our research shows voters want it addressed by the next Government.
“We need all political parties to articulate how they would realistically help more people achieve the dream of owning a home and create stronger communities as a result.
“There is overwhelming public support for building more homes and other potential solutions – that needs to be matched by the conviction of the next Government to finally address the homeownership crisis.”
