Most Sydneysiders think foreigners shouldn’t be able to buy property

The majority of Sydneysiders don’t believe foreign investors should be allowed to buy Australian property, despite experts claiming little evidence exists showing offshore buyers pushing up prices.

A new study into attitudes towards foreign investors, spearheaded by University of Sydney housing researcher Dallas Rogers, surveyed 900 Greater Sydney residents in November 2015 and was released on Wednesday after being published in the Journal of the Australian Geographer.

When asked if foreign investors should be able to buy properties in Sydney, 28.3 per cent of respondents said they “strongly disagree” while 27.6 per cent said they “disagree”. A further 21.8 per cent were on the fence.