Two in three people have given up their dream of owning a home, research shows.

High prices, a shortage of homes and a mortgage drought are being blamed for driving a change in expectations.

The credit crunch means that – as in Europe – future generations are more likely to rent their homes than buy them, researchers say.

The overwhelming proportion – 77 percent – of those aged 20-45 want to own a home, according to the Generation Rent report published today.

However, 64 percent of them believe they have no hope of ever doing so.

The claims are based on a survey of 8,000 young adults by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), which was commissioned by the Halifax.

It found that 84 percent of potential first-time buyers are put off by a belief banks do not want to lend to them.

Some 92 percent see it as hard for first-time buyers to get a mortgage, with 60 percent saying it is very hard or impossible.

And 67 percent believe there is little point in even applying.

These concerns are backed up by the fact that the number of mortgages offered in April slumped to a record low.

Just 29,355 house purchase loans were granted – 18 percent fewer than the same month last year.

The evidence is that banks and building societies are refusing to lend at reasonable interest rates unless first-time buyers come up with huge deposits, which are often more than ￡30,000.

The research found that 95 percent of young adults do not have any spare cash to save for this.

A report published by housing charity Shelter yesterday showed 20 percent of young adults are moving back in with their parents. A similar proportion are giving up on having children to try to save the money needed for a deposit.

NatCen researcher Alison Blackwell said: ‘The phenomenon of Generation Rent could open up a widening of the wealth gap that already exists between home-owners and non-homeowners. And people risk insufficient finances at retirement.’

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)