The latest Business South Housing Group meeting, held at Chilworth Manor, featured a compelling presentation by Professor Jane Falkingham CBE from the University of Southampton. Professor Falkingham is a renowned expert in demography and international social policy, serving as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Director of the ESRC Centre for Population Change, and President of the European Association of Population Studies. She was awarded a CBE in the 2023 King’s New Year Honours for her services to demographic research.
Her presentation delivered valuable insights into global, national, and regional demographic trends, offering critical context for the development of the upcoming Vision Document that will inform housing policy across the Central South region for the new Mayor in 2026.
Key highlights from her talk included:
- Global Trends:
- The global population is ageing, with the 60+ age group growing at 3% annually.
- Life expectancy continues to rise, and we are living longer, healthier lives.
- National Trends (UK):
- By 2045, over half of the UK electorate will be aged 50 or older.
- The age of first-time mothers has increased from 23 in 1970 to 29 today.
- “Boomerang families” are on the rise, with young adults increasingly living at home for longer.
- In 2021, the median age for leaving the parental home was 24, up from 21 in 2011.
- Fewer young adults are forming couples; in 2021, 72% of 25–29-year-olds in relationships were not married or in civil partnerships (up from 56% in 2011).
- Regional Trends (Central South):
- All areas in the region experienced population growth between 2011 and 2023, except Gosport and the New Forest.
- Southampton and Portsmouth maintain younger population profiles, while other parts of Hampshire and the Solent skew older.
- In South Hampshire, people tend to live and work locally; in North Hampshire, more residents commute to London.
- The region boasts higher-than-average employment and retirement rates, as well as elevated self-employment.
- House prices in Hampshire and the Solent exceed national averages, with Winchester and East Hampshire among the least affordable areas based on earnings-to-house-price ratios.
Professor Falkingham also highlighted the role of the ONS team in Titchfield and encouraged regional stakeholders to engage with them to support evidence-based planning.
Her presentation served as a timely and insightful contribution to the region’s strategic housing conversation, helping ensure that future plans are grounded in robust demographic evidence.
