Perhaps worse the study discovered that opposition to housing development [58% against] is strongest in areas where homes are most needed – the south east and London. Only 30% of those surveyed said they would support development in their area.

Inner London and Scotland bucked the overall negative trend; 49% said they would back development in inner London and 43% in Scotland.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, opposition to development was greatest among home owners with 51% saying they were against more development, compared to 35 per cent of renters. The vast majority [86%] of those surveyed said they would prefer to buy than rent.

However, the research also suggested that those opposed to housing development could be persuaded to change their minds, with employment opportunities cited as a key incentive.

The same survey suggested 54% believed social security benefits were too high and discouraged people from finding jobs, up from 35% 18 years ago when the study was first carried out.

Of the 3,297 people questioned this year, 63% believed parents who "don't want to work" were to blame for children living in poverty.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people willing to pay higher prices for green policies, for the sake of the environment, has fallen from 43% a decade ago to just 26% today.