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Households were asked the extent to which housing costs and the repayment of non-housing-related debts are a financial burden to the household. The answer categories were ‘a heavy burden’; ‘somewhat a burden; ‘not a burden at all”.
In 2023, three in ten (30.6%) households regarded housing costs as a heavy financial burden, almost unchanged from the 2022 rate (30.9%) but over seven percentage points higher than the rate in 2021 (23.1%). The proportion reporting housing costs to be no burden at all dropped from 29.6% in 2021 to 21.6% in 2022 and 20.3% in 2023. See figure 6.1 and table 6.1.
| X-axis label | No burden at all | Somewhat of a burden | A heavy burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20.3 | 49.1 | 30.6 |
| 2022 | 21.6 | 47.5 | 30.9 |
| 2021 | 29.6 | 47.3 | 23.1 |
| No burden at all | Somewhat of a burden | A heavy burden | |
| 2022 | 21.9 | 46.9 | 31.1 |
| 2021 | 30.1 | 47 | 23 |
| 2020 | 24.7 | 50.6 | 24.7 |
Of the 31.8% of households that indicated they have hire purchase instalments or other loan payments, almost one in four (23.3%) regarded the repayment of such loans to be a heavy financial burden, up from 20.7% in 2022. The 2021 rate was 16.1%. See figure 6.2 and table 6.2.
| X-axis label | No burden at all | Somewhat of a burden | A heavy burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 31 | 45.7 | 23.3 |
| 2022 | 31.4 | 47.9 | 20.7 |
| 2021 | 32.8 | 51.1 | 16.1 |
By household composition, the financial burden of housing costs was higher for households with children. More than half (51.7%) of single-adult households with children regarded housing costs as a heavy burden, compared with approximately one in six (16.6%) households composed of two-adults where at least one was aged 65 or over. See figure 6.3 and table 6.1.
| X-axis label | Total housing cost | Repayment of debts from hire purchases or loans |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 27.9 | 21 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 31.1 | 25.1 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 16.6 | 15.8 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 26.3 | 17.9 |
| 3 or more adults | 25.2 | 23.2 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 51.7 | 32.3 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 36.9 | 23.5 |
| Other households with children under 18 years | 43.2 | 27.4 |
Rented or rent-free households were more likely than owner-occupied households to consider housing costs and loan repayments to be a heavy financial burden. Two in five (41.2%) rented or rent-free households found housing costs to be a heavy burden, compared with one in four (25.6%) owner-occupied households. See figure 6.4.
| X-axis label | Total housing cost | Repayment of debts from hire purchases or loans |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 25.6 | 21.1 |
| Rented or rent free | 41.2 | 27.8 |
Of households living in enforced deprivation, 72.5% found housing costs to be a heavy financial burden, compared with 21.7% of households not experiencing deprivation. See figure 6.5.
| X-axis label | Total housing cost | Repayment of debts from hire purchases or loans |
|---|---|---|
| Not experiencing deprivation | 21.7 | 17 |
| Experiencing deprivation | 72.5 | 48.6 |
To meet ordinary living expenses 8.6% of households went into debt in the 12 month period prior to their interview date in 2023, up slightly on the 2022 rate of 8.3%. See figure 6.6.
| X-axis label | No | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 91.4 | 8.6 |
| 2022 | 91.7 | 8.3 |
| 2021 | 92.1 | 7.9 |
Analysis by household composition shows that just over one in five (21.6%) single-adult households with children went into debt to meet ordinary living expenses. One in ten (10.0%) two-adult households with one to three children and a similar percentage (11.6%) of other households with children also went into debt to meet ordinary living expenses. The rates were much lower for older households, with 4.0% of single-adult households composed of one adult aged 65 or over and 1.9% of two-adults where at least one is aged 65 or over having gone into debt. See figure 6.7.
| X-axis label | Gone into debt, within the last 12 months, to meet ordinary living expenses |
|---|---|
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 4 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 13.1 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 1.9 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 7 |
| 3 or more adults | 7.4 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 21.6 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 10 |
| Other households with children under 18 years | 11.6 |
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