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An Insights West survey reveals that nine out of 10 Metro Vancouver residents agree the region is facing a housing crisis and 84 per cent agree that it is being caused by foreign home buyers.
Residents say other factors that are causing the housing crisis include: overall population growth in Metro Vancouver (80 per cent), shadow flipping (76 per cent) and money laundering (73 per cent) as the primary causes.
Over half of the survey respondents cite municipal zoning bylaws, immigration and lack of available land due to the natural geography as playing a role in the housing crisis.
Housing affordability is seen as the number one issue in B.C. by 48 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents.
Younger residents between the ages of 18 and 34 are more concerned than older residents with 72 per cent saying housing affordability is the main issue facing the province.
Most Metro Vancouverites (59 per cent) say they have been negatively impacted by the current housing situation but younger people are more concerned.
About 83 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 agree that the housing crisis has had a negative impact on them and increases to 87 per cent among young people that are currently renting.
The online survey was conducted between July 10 to July 12 among 561 adult residents of Metro Vancouver, who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
A recent study from Simon Fraser University ranked Vancouver as the most unaffordable housing market in North America due to the gap between household incomes and housing prices.
The study suggests that if household incomes were higher, as they are in California's Silicon Valley, then Vancouver's housing market would be more affordable.
