Survey: NIMBYism Declining as a Result of the U.K. Housing Crisis

A newly released report from a U.K. housing non-profit reports a "Staggering turn-around" in attitudes about housing—more specifically described as a sharp decline in NIMBYism.

1 minute read

January 30, 2015, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The report, by the non-profit housing organization Shelter, reports on an "unprecedented political opportunity" to advance against England's housing shortage.

The report cites a number of sources, including the 2013 British Social Attitudes Survey by NatCen as well as surveys by Populos and ComRes. The article builds cases for a shift in attitude both in regard to the concern of the U.K. public over the rising coast of housing and the willingness to support more housing built in "your local area." So, for instance, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey, Conservative votes that strongly oppose housing built in their local area declined from 20 percent to 13 percent between 2010 and 2013. Similar trends are identified in Labour and Lib Dem voters.

The report also examines the factors influencing NIMBYism with regard to housing and a case study of Medway, which was the site of Shelter's proposal for the 2014 for the Wolfson Economics Prize to design a Garden City.

A quick Google search revealed the same trope about housing prices and NIMBYism described in 2005 by the New York Times.

Friday, January 23, 2015 in Shelter

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