The dichotomy of living between the private and council sectors is even more pronounced in their media usage. Our research shows that people who live in council/social housing prefer to watch programmes that reflect traditional communities - like Coronation Street and Neighbours. Their private housing counterparts however, are more likely to enjoy aspirational lifestyle programmes focused on status cars, properties abroad or entertaining.

• People who live in private housing prefer to watch lifestyle programmes such as Top Gear, A Place in the Sun and Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - 24% identify lifestyle programmes as their favourites, but only 8% identify soaps as their favourites
• People who live in council housing prefer to watch soaps with Coronation Street and Neighbours being popular choices - 31% identify soaps as their favourite choice, but only 13% identify lifestyle programmes as their favourites

For people working within communities, tenant engagement will be vital to meet government demands and to tackle some of the prevalent issues of worklessness, substance misuse and anti-social behaviour.

This research also indicates that local media is more respected by this audience than by their private sector contemporaries. In affluent communities, radio listenership is predominantly national. This means that this channel is effectively closed for advertisers trying to reach this audience. However, it does provide an opportunity for advertisers trying to engage with communities within council housing.

77% of people in social housing listen to the radio

71% of these people in social housing prefer listening to the national radio

67% of people in private housing listen to the radio

73% of people in council housing listen to the radio

62% of these people in council housing prefer listening to the local radio

Television has, in recent years, become increasingly difficult to manage for advertisers - largely due to the increase in digital channels. However, in a council/social housing community, this problem is less prevalent. As with the 1950s Britain comparison, these communities have a simpler lifestyle and are more likely to have Freeview than Sky.

37% of people who live in council housing have Sky and 38% have Freeview

37% of people who live in social housing have Sky and 25% have cable

54% of people who live in private housing have Sky and 23% have Freeview

Although many advertisers are confidently moving their budgets into online activity, this is not yet an option for people engaging with a council/social housing community. In fact, only half of the people in council housing use the internet and their usage is significantly less than their private housing counterparts.

53% of people in council housing have the internet and 53% of these people only use it for up to an hour each day

88% of people in social housing use the internet with 73% of them using it for less than an hour a day

83% of people in private housing use the internet, but 61% of these people use it for 3 hours or more