Housing Decisions of Older Australians

Brief description

This research paper and data was released on 1 December 2015, it continues the Commission's investigation of issues relating to the ageing of Australia's population, this time focusing on the housing choices made by older Australians. It considers available statistical evidence on the financial and accommodation aspects of housing decisions and draws out some of the policy issues affecting the wellbeing of older Australians and the broader community.\r\nThe report examines the policies affecting the supply and cost of residential aged care and other age-specific housing, the influence of the tax and transfer system on housing decisions, and the issues in using home equity release to support living standards in retirement.\r\nIn reaching its conclusions, the Commission drew on evidence from a survey of older Australians conducted on its behalf. The Commission engaged RFi Group to conduct a national survey of older Australians on the reasons for housing decisions relevant to this study.\r\nThe survey was conducted online in September 2015, and involved 1500 Australians aged over 60 years. Key results from the survey are presented throughout the report. A more detailed description of survey methodology is given in appendix C.\r\n

Full description

Housing Decisions of Older Australians - Survey - Website link to the research paper and survey supplements. In the course of the Housing Decisions of Older Australians study, the Commission identified a paucity of recent data on the behavioural drivers of specific decisions relevant to the study. There were some existing surveys on the attitudes of older Australians on releasing equity from the home and reverse mortgage products. However, these tended to be either outdated (having occurred prior to significant changes in the market and in the policy and regulatory environment) or based on very small sample sizes.\r\nMore broadly, previous surveys often tended to focus on a particular aspect of housing decisions (either the accommodation dimension, or the investment and financial dimension), rather than providing a comprehensive review.\r\nThe Commission engaged RFI Group to conduct a national survey of older Australians on issues pertinent to this study and that address the gap in evidence. The survey sought the views of older Australians on issues such as: planning for retirement; housing preferences and downsizing; savings, debt and bequests; and home equity release products.\r\nResults from this survey have been used throughout this report, and full results are available online.
Raw data - Housing Decisions of Older Australians (STATA DTA - 15 490 Kb) - STATA DTA file for 'Raw data for the Housing Decisions of Older Australians survey (STATA DTA - 15 490 Kb)'
Raw data - Housing Decisions of Older Australians (XLSX - 1409 Kb) - Excel spreadsheet with 'Raw data - Housing Decisions of Older Australians (XLSX - 1409 Kb)'