Housing was already Andorra’s biggest concern in 2018 — eight years later, it still tops the list
This year, 70% of residents identify housing as the most urgent problem to address
Concern about housing in Andorra is nothing new. In 2018, housing costs already topped the list of issues residents believed needed addressing.
Eight years later, the Observatory survey for the first half of 2026, conducted by Andorra Recerca + Innovació (AR+I), once again places housing first: 70.2% of respondents identify it as the most urgent problem to resolve.
The historical perspective highlights an issue that goes beyond fluctuations between surveys: how much time has passed since public opinion research first showed housing to be a leading concern.
The warning signs were already clear in 2018
The Observatory survey for the second half of 2018, compiled by the then Centre for Sociological Research (CRES) at the Institute of Andorran Studies, ranked housing as the leading concern, mentioned by 33% of respondents.
CRES director Joan Micó explained that worries about finding work had grown during the economic crisis, while housing costs, wages and purchasing power became more prominent during periods of economic growth. At the end of 2018, a lack of jobs concerned 2.4% of respondents.
Housing costs had risen rapidly up the list of concerns. The same report noted that, in the second half of 2016, only 5% of those interviewed mentioned the issue, placing it thirteenth among the areas needing improvement. Two years later, it ranked first.
In 2026, rents and wages remain central to the problem
The latest Observatory survey, presented in July, records a four-percentage-point decline in mentions of housing compared with the previous survey.
Nevertheless, housing remains the dominant concern. Respondents highlight expensive rents, the mismatch between housing costs and wages, and the difficulties of moving out of the family home.
When asked which problem affects them most personally, 41.8% of respondents name housing, again putting it in first place. Among young people, the figure reaches 54%, compared with 23% among those aged over 65.
A concern that persists across the years
The 2018 and 2026 findings illustrate how consistently housing has remained at the centre of public debate. Eight years after that warning, access to a home still tops residents’ calls for improvement. Its persistence invites scrutiny of the policies introduced during this period and the extent to which they have addressed the difficulties residents describe.