Voters could switch ballots over housing policies – poll

Ahead of the Scottish elections, a housing charity says parties’ plans to end the housing emergency could hold the key to power at Holyrood.

A poll by Shelter Scotland found more than half of voters in Scotland (57%) would consider switching their regional ballot vote if another party offered clear policies they supported to tackle the housing emergency.

The SNP has proposed plans that would give renters in Scotland an exclusive period to buy their home at a “fair market rate” if their landlord decides to put the property on the market.

However, the Scottish Conservatives claim the proposals “will spook landlords”, while the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) has warned there is a lack of clarity over what constitutes a “fair market price”.

Build more social homes

According to the poll, published by Shelter Scotland and conducted by the Diffley Partnership, 73% of people in Scotland support building more social homes to end homelessness, making this their preferred policy over rent controls (66%), planning reform (60%) and grants to first-time buyers (59%).

Housing and homelessness rank above education, climate change and crime when voters are considering what issues are most important in shaping their constituency and regional list voting decision.

Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, assistant director of Shelter Scotland, has urged all political parties to build social homes.

He said: “This research is clear. People in Scotland know there is a housing emergency, they support social house building as the best solution and it significantly impacts on their decisions as voters.

“For too long we have watched as the managed decline of social housing in Scotland has led to rising homelessness and the number of homes-built falls below what is needed to cut rising homelessness.

“The cost of not building the homes can be seen in cuts to council services like libraries, swimming pools and potholes as councils divert resources to pay for hotel rooms to keep people off the streets.

“It is an outrage that every party leader knows the solution is to build more social homes, but they seem too scared to act. Now, thanks to this research, they know that voters will back them if they just get on and deliver the homes people in Scotland so desperately need. Our politicians must have the courage of their convictions and deliver.”

Scots are aware of the housing emergency

Mark Diffley, founder and director of Diffley Partnership said: “As we approach the election, this poll demonstrates a clear relationship between housing policy and voters’ decisions.

“Scots are aware of the housing emergency, are concerned about its impacts and there’s an appetite for the new parliament to present a plan to address the housing emergency early on.

“The data also indicates potential for housing policy to influence vote switching, with a majority saying they would consider changing their second vote if another party had clear policies which they liked.”

The Scottish elections take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.