Nearly one third of Bermudians spend at least half their monthly income on housing, a survey has revealed.

It shows nearly one in five residents are fruitlessly hunting for housing or have a family member in that predicament.

And 86 percent report say cost is barring them from getting what they want, according to the poll by Total Marketing and Communication.

Don Mills, President of Corporate Research Associates Inc, said: ?It is understandable why housing is a critical issue in Bermuda today, with a significant proportion of residents spending at least 50 percent of their total monthly income on their accommodation.?

The information shows one half of those earning less than $50,000 a year are in this predicament.

More surprising is that 22 percent of the population don?t spend even one percent of their income on housing.

The majority of Bermuda residents (63 percent) own their own home while 32 percent rent.

The survey also shows 36 percent of homeowners rent property to others.

The results come from the Bermuda Omnibus, an independent, quarterly survey of 401 residents who form a representative sample. It was conducted between June 25-29 and is accurate with 4.9 percent.