Almost three in 10 Irish adults know someone who is living with housing exclusion, or who has done so in the past 12 months.

That is according to research published by the Simon Communities of Ireland.

In a national omnibus survey, awareness of someone living temporarily with another household is highest among those aged under-25 and living in Leinster.

In the 18-24 year old age group, 46% of survey respondents said they were aware of someone living without a regular address.

This was followed by the 25-34 age group, where 37% of respondents were aware of someone in "precarious" accommodation.

While awareness of a person or family in temporary accommodation dropped to 16% among those aged 55+ years.

The study was conducted on behalf of the Simon Communities of Ireland in September by Amarách research.

Simon Communities head of policy is Wayne Stanley.

He said: "The findings in our national poll confirm that housing exclusion is pervasive and is within touching distance of almost three in 10 Irish adults.

"We know from the work of the Simon Communities in Ireland that too much of this is 'hidden homelessness'.

"Ten years ago, homelessness was something that happened to people we did not know.

"It's now a reality for family, friends and colleagues.

"Homelessness has moved from something that was outside the circle of the vast majority, to something that is in the circle of large sections of our national adult population."

Those in so-called 'hidden homelessness' are individuals and families that have no place to call home, and are often doubling and tripling up - staying with friends or relatives as they have nowhere else to go.

Election priorities

Simon also sought to establish if housing and homelessness will feature among issues for the electorate ahead of the next general election.

While health came out as the number one issue that Irish adults would like to see the next government prioritise, housing and homelessness followed as the second most important issue.

Some 41% of adults surveyed prioritised health, 28% prioritised housing and homelessness while the environment/climate action was prioritised by 22%.

Mr Stanley said: "These results present a clear message to all politicians seeking national office in the next general election.

"That message is that housing and tackling homelessness are election issues, and the electorate wants a government that is committed to delivering solutions."

Concern for government action on housing and homelessness is prevalent among all age groups - with the greatest levels of concern among those aged under-25 (32%), followed by those aged 35 to 44 years (30%), and those aged over-55 (who are likely to be concerned about their children and family).

Women show greater likelihood of prioritising housing and homelessness than men (30% vs 25%).