Almost one-third of the public think the government should build more houses as a first step towards solving the housing crisis, a survey has found.

The survey, undertaken on behalf of life and pensions company Royal London, showed that 28 per cent of people believed that the government should apply strict rent controls, while more than one in five believe that the “red tape” relating to the building of new homes should be cut.

Support for rent controls is highest among younger age groups with 35 per cent of 18-34 year olds wanting strict controls. The survey, conducted among 1,000 respondents, asked which of a list of measures should the next government prioritise. Some 32 per cent said the government should build more houses itself, 28 per cent opted for rent controls, 21 per cent wanted red tape cut to speed up building and 19 per cent wanted financial incentives to encourage landowners and developers to build more homes

“It’s interesting that our survey results reveal that more people think the solution to this lies directly with the government than the private sector,” said Joe Charles of Royal London.