National social housing survey 2025

What is social housing?

Social housing in Australia is affordable rental housing for eligible people living on low incomes or with housing needs. It includes public housing, which is owned and managed by government, and community housing, which is provided by government or non-government (including not-for-profit) organisations. Social housing has increasingly been provided to those in ‘greatest need’ relative to others on the waitlist, for example, those experiencing homelessness, family or domestic violence, or those with disability. For more information see the Entries, exits and transfers and Supply of social housing sections of Housing assistance in Australia.

In 2023–24, about 830,000 Australians lived in social housing across nearly 452,000 dwellings. Public housing accounted for most dwellings (66%), followed by community housing (26%). The 3 social housing programs appearing in this report are public housing, state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) and community housing (Figure Intro.1). SOMIH is a specialised, targeted program within the broader public housing portfolio, owned and managed by state/territory governments and specifically allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households. 

For more information on demographics of people in social housing, see the Occupants and Households sections of Housing assistance in Australia.

The importance of housing for health and wellbeing

Housing plays a critical role in shaping health and wellbeing. Housing quality, size and location can impact a wide range of health outcomes, both physical and mental (Howden-Chapman et al. 2023; Bentley et al. 2025). The impacts of poor-quality housing extend beyond residents and result in significant costs to society (Garrett et al. 2021). Social housing is a vital part of the solution. It provides secure, affordable homes for people on low incomes or experiencing vulnerability, helping prevent homelessness and improving health outcomes (Taylor et al. 2023). 

Housing features such as structure, accessibility, thermal insulation and adequacy of space can influence a wide range of health outcomes. These include cardiovascular and respiratory disease risk, injury, mental health and quality of life outcomes (Howden-Chapman et al. 2023). These factors may intersect, for example overcrowding can have direct adverse health impacts, such as low mood or distress, and can increase the risk of damp and mould (Eveleigh et al. 2025). Living in a cold, mouldy and damp home can then increase the risk of respiratory diseases (Wimalasena et al. 2021). 

Housing location influences health by through access to services, opportunities and supportive environments. Well‑located housing improves access to transport, health care, education and employment, which supports health and wellbeing. It can also reduce travel time and strengthen community connections, improving quality of life (Bentley et al. 2025). There is also strong research linking neighbourhood noise, crime and violence, and environmental hazards to negative health effects (Rolfe and Garnham 2020). 

For more information on housing and wellbeing indicators, such as affordability, see Australia’s welfare indicators. 

About the National social housing survey 2025

The National social housing survey (NSHS) is the largest social housing study conducted in Australia. The NSHS seeks to gain insights into the lived experiences of social housing tenants. This includes their satisfaction with housing service providers, amenities, and maintenance services, as well as other perceived benefits of living in social housing. By capturing tenants’ perspectives on social housing, the NSHS enables a person-centred approach to understanding tenant needs and consideration of whether housing policy objectives are met.

The NSHS complements other data on social housing in Australia, that is, administrative data collected by social housing providers and reported in Housing assistance in Australia. The NSHS is conducted every two years with data nationally consistent and largely comparable over time, noting that some survey items vary between waves. For further information see the NSHS Data Quality Statement. 

Social housing households from all states and territories were sampled in the NSHS. The technical notes include information on the housing programs covered in each state and territory. 

The 2025 NSHS is the most recent in a series of surveys of social housing tenants and was administered between April and August 2025. Lonergan Research administered and conducted the survey on behalf of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 

Similar as in previous waves, a stratified random sampling approach was adopted, meaning participants were randomly selected from specific groups to ensure the sample reflects different jurisdictions, housing programs, and levels of remoteness. Participating tenants completed the survey either on paper, online, face-to-face or over the telephone. Please refer to related materials for further information. 

In 2025, the survey incorporated additional questions on interactions with housing organisation staff. The interactions with housing organisations section of this report provides more detail. 

Information on the number of survey responses received for each social housing program is outlined in the box below, with more information in the supplementary tables. 

Understanding tenant satisfaction statistics

This report presents the key findings from the 2025 NSHS. The descriptive statistics presented are proportions (per cent) obtained by applying weights to the NSHS sample responses. That is, not every social housing household was surveyed so statistical methods (weighting) were used to ensure that estimates best represent all tenants in social housing. 

This report also presents logistic regression results to show which factors are most closely associated with tenant satisfaction. Regression analysis is a statistical technique used to explore the relationships between factors (or variables) and an outcome.

In some instances, where appropriate, the results from 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023 are used for comparison. More detailed data are available in the supplementary data tables. More information on the NSHS statistical methodology (such as sampling and weighting), is provided in the technical notes. 

Are observed differences statistically significant and what does that mean in this report?

Throughout this report, we conducted statistical tests to determine the statistical significance of the difference between groups. We describe results as statistically significant when the tests provide strong evidence that the observed differences are real and unlikely to be due to random error.

The number of people surveyed (the sample size) affects the reliability and statistical significance of results. Large samples increase statistical power, so results may be statistically significant even when the actual difference is small and of limited practical importance. Small samples often have insufficient statistical power, so studies with small samples may fail to detect real differences when they exist.

When comparing estimates between populations or over time, readers should refer to the confidence limits data tables. A confidence limit shows the range within which the true population value is likely to fall. This report uses a confidence level of 95%, meaning we are 95% confident the true value lies within that range.