How do the French look at individual homes and access to property?

Key figures of the study:

• 80% of respondents would prefer to live in a single-family house
• 24% of respondents associate property ownership above all with a privilege, 11% with debt, 9% with a sign of wealth;
• 60% think real estate reserved for the elite;
• 80% consider that access to property should be encouraged more by financial aid from the State;
• Only 14% think that the individual house has negative consequences on the environment and biodiversity (compared to living in collective housing).
• 71% are willing to have a detached house on a smaller lot to limit urban sprawl

Access to property

Real estate ownership in the eyes of the general public is a guarantee of security and a feeling of success... which remains however limited to the investment capacity.

For the French, housing holds a good place as a criterion of a good quality of life, after being in good health (72%), being well surrounded (47%). In fact, 34% choose “feeling good at home” as the determining criterion for a good quality of life.

Real estate ownership is seen as a form of security (57%) and investment (51%). Moreover, a broad consensus is emerging around the statement “property ownership is a good way to secure your future” (88%).

The fact that it is “synonymous with accomplishment” is also fully recognized (81% of French people support this idea).

However, some French people question their ability to access property since 60% say “it will soon be reserved for an elite” and a quarter associate it above all with a privilege (24%). As a result, 8 out of 10 French people consider that it should be further encouraged by state aid.

The appeal of single-family homes

The French show a particularly pronounced preference for living in a single-family house (80%) rather than an apartment (20%), especially those from rural communities (94%), living in a household of 3 people or more ( 86%) and having children under 14 (87%).

Living in a detached house presents as the first benefit the fact of “enjoying a garden” for almost a third of respondents (28%). Freedom (absence of co-ownership, less nuisance from neighbours, etc.) and the tranquility it offers are also clearly identified assets (respectively 22% and 21%).

Only 52% of French people feel that living in a single-family home has repercussions on the environment and biodiversity, and for most of them the consequences are positive. In the end, only 14% of French people foresee negative repercussions.

Focus on urban sprawl

Since the individual house remains the ideal housing model for the French (80% vs. 20% for the apartment), only a third of them could give it up to limit the expansion of cities (30%).

However, with a view to reducing urban sprawl, the people questioned would support certain actions of the public authorities and in particular the encouragement to build houses on small lots (71%). Comparatively, the incentive to build terraced houses (which require less surface area of ​​land) and access to property for collective housing rather than individual housing shares a lot more of the interviewees (55% in both cases) .

Quite logically, the hierarchy of the most possible individual concessions to limit urban sprawl is similar: the fact of building on a smaller plot would be accepted by 7 out of 10 French people (71%) but much less living in a terraced house ( 50%).

Thus, aware that the construction of individual houses must also take into account the preservation of natural spaces, 71% would be likely to accept the construction of another dwelling near their home to limit urban sprawl.

However, if 65% accept it for a house, only 20% would tolerate it if it were a building.

Finally, note that the various concessions allowed to limit urban sprawl are correlated with age and standard of living: 18-24 year olds and very modest households being more favorable to compromise than others.