About half of young people do not find the government's housing policies helpful, a survey shows.

Young DAB interviewed 877 people aged 18 to 35 from November 9 to 23. About 53 percent said the Starter Homes Scheme is not helpful, while 23 percent had a different opinion. As for the green form subsidized Home Ownership Pilot Scheme, 52 percent said it can't help them buy a flat, while 25 percent said it can.

For the interim scheme to extend the Home Ownership Scheme secondary market to white form buyers, 33 percent agreed it is useful, while 48 percent thought otherwise. "The government has not released the details of the Starter Homes Scheme, so young people are still holding a wait-and-see attitude,"Young DAB chairman Frankie Ngan Man-yu said.

Ngan said the scheme won't be attractive to young people if they have to sell the flat back to the government.

"That means after paying all the initial payment and mortgages, they still do not own the property. What they have bought is the right to live there for several years only," he said.

The survey also found that interviewees in older age groups, including 24-29 and 30-35, approved of the housing policies. About 60 percent in those groups showed support compared to 43 percent in the 18-23 age group.

stellast.wong@singtaonewscorp.com