Housing costs linked to delayed healthcare in multinational survey

Housing affordability may affect access to healthcare and food, according to a report commissioned by Habitat for Humanity International. The report, “Home at What Cost?”, draws on nationally representative public-opinion surveys conducted between April 10 and June 30, 2026, involving 30,758 respondents in a reported 22 countries. It examined perceived housing affordability, security, stability and effects on daily life.

Overall, 75% of respondents reported cutting at least one expense during the previous year to cover housing costs. This proportion reached 89% among people living in informal housing, 85% among low-income groups and 81% among Generation Z and millennials. Some 33% reduced food spending, 32% used savings or emergency funds, and 13% delayed or avoided medical care.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) said an unexpected problem could threaten their ability to remain housed, while 40% accepted some housing risk because safer options were unaffordable. Additionally, 18% said their homes did not protect them from extreme weather, including heat, cold or flooding.

The findings highlight housing affordability as a potential barrier to healthcare access and adequate food. However, this nonprofit-issued press release reports self-reported experiences, not measured clinical outcomes, and cannot establish causal health effects. It provides no response rates, uncertainty estimates or detailed sampling and weighting methods; although it reports 22 participating countries, its country list contains 21.