Just one in four Britons are Nimbys - but most think their neighbours are

Almost half of Britons support housebuilding in their area, while overestimating the number of so-called Nimbys [not in my backyard] who want to block local developments – a poll has found.

Ipsos polling, shared exclusively with The i Paper, shows 46 per cent of people support the building of new homes in their area, compared to 25 per cent who oppose it.

But despite public backing for housebuilding, just 26 per cent of people believe a majority of their neighbours are supportive of new developments. Fourty-two per cent think more of their neighbours are opposed, while 20 per cent think opinion is around evenly split.

Both Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have publicly criticised Nimbys for using the planning process to prevent new homes being built and have said Labour will be the party of “the builders not the blockers”.

Ben Marshall, research director at Ipsos, said the poll shows “the power of the narrative about nimbyism”, saying: “People perceive public opinion to be more Nimby than it is in reality.”

He added: “In principle, support for building more homes has been consistently ahead of opposition for some time now, and several of the Government’s proposed planning policies are popular with the British public.

“People opposed to building in their area are therefore more out of touch with public opinion than those who support it.”

However, those polled said they were still keen to prioritise environmental concerns over the need for housebuilding

Six in 10 (61 per cent) say higher priority should be given to the environment if it means fewer homes are built, compared to 19 per cent who say new homes should be built quickly, even if it comes at the expense of the environment.

One of Labour’s flagship pledges is to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the current Parliament, requiring record levels of housebuilding.

The Government is currently pushing ahead with its Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will overhaul planning rules to fast-track major infrastructure projects, such as the building of new towns, give councils greater powers to seize private land for public building and make it harder for councillors to block smaller developments.

Despite the measures, polling suggests people are underwhelmed by Labour’s impact.

Just 21 per cent said they thought Labour are doing a good job on housing, while 46 per cent said they are doing a bad job. Meanwhile, 28 per cent of people believed they are doing a better job than the last Conservative government, compared to 27 per cent who think they are doing a worse job.

Knowledge of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is also low among the public, with 24 per cent of people saying they have “never heard of it”.

However, people were broadly in favour of its aims, with 53 per cent of people in support of “speeding up” planning decisions, compared to 15 per cent who were opposed.

Similarly, 47 per cent of people were supportive of Labour’s policy to make it easier to build on the “grey belt” – parts of the green belt deemed suitable for development. Just 20 per cent were opposed.

Marshall said the survey paints a complex picture of how Brits really feel about housebuilding, adding: “The public is steadfast in its preference for local engagement over the scale and speed of building while also prioritising environmental protection.

“The message is that British people think that the means of how housebuilding is done matters as much, if not more, than the ends.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.

Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,100 online British adults aged 18-75. Polling was conducted between 9 and 12 May, 2025.