Those living alone were more likely to be women than men, and the likelihood of living alone increased with age. The likelihood of living in a health establishment also increased with age, particularly for women. However those older people who did rent were more likely to be public renters than younger people who were renting. Despite their low average income, most older people have access to affordable housing. While their rate of home ownership is high, some older people may experience housing affordability problems, in particular private renters and people who live alone.
Older people are much more likely than younger people to live alone.
There is no single standard measure of housing affordability. One measure used in housing research is the ratio of housing costs to income 5 . Housing affordability varies by tenure and by household type. This is related to people in couple households being more likely to be owners, and less likely to be private renters, than people living alone. Among older households, owners and purchasers were the most satisfied, followed by renters.