Unlocking the Potential of Technology in Social Housing: Insights from Dr. Dan Bowers
25th February 2025
Jenny Danson
The intersection of housing and health is an area of growing importance, and the role of psychology in this space is becoming ever clearer. Dr. Dan Bowers, Head of Psychology at the University of South Wales and a board member of the United Welsh Health Association, recently shared key insights at a recent event, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities of embedding technology in social housing.
The Psychology of Technology Acceptance
Dr. Bowers and his team at the Housing Health Research Network have been working to bridge the gap between academia and social housing practice. They acknowledge that while psychology can provide valuable insights, there is no silver bullet for ensuring successful technology adoption. Instead, a multi-stakeholder approach is needed, drawing on the lived experience of tenants and frontline practitioners alongside rigorous research.
Their work is structured around five key themes that shape their research and engagement:
Housing, Community, and Thriving – Understanding the social and psychological factors that enable communities to flourish.
Evidence and Measurement – Developing robust frameworks for evaluating housing interventions.
Housing and Support Systems – Exploring how housing connects with wider support networks.
Physical Health Needs – Examining the role of housing in preventing and managing health conditions.
Technology and Innovation – Assessing the impact of new technologies on tenants’ well-being.
The Challenges Facing Social Housing
Dr. Bowers highlighted the scale of the challenges facing social housing in Wales, including declining home ownership, rising poverty, an ageing population, and increasing levels of anti-social behaviour and increasingly organised crime. Housing providers are also grappling with the pressures of decarbonisation, improving tenant health and well-being, and managing the rising cost of living that is effecting their residents and the services delivered.
Technology has the potential to alleviate some of these pressures, offering solutions that improve air quality, reduce energy bills, and enhance property management. However, the picture is far from straightforward.
Barriers to Technology Adoption
Drawing on recent research, Dr. Bowers outlined several key barriers to technology adoption in social housing:
Communication and Information – Tenants often receive insufficient or poorly communicated information about new technology before its installation.
Digital Exclusion – Many social housing residents face barriers to engaging with digital solutions due to lack of skills, internet access, or confidence.
Disruptive Installation Processes – The physical intrusion of installing new technology can be a significant deterrent.
Lack of User Understanding – Even after installation, many tenants struggle to understand how to use the technology effectively.
Crucially, tenant engagement emerged as a decisive factor in successful technology adoption. When tenants are actively involved in decision-making and properly supported through the transition, outcomes improve significantly.
The Need for a Holistic Approach
Dr. Bowers emphasised that technology should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a broader ecosystem. A poorly implemented solution can create frustration and mistrust, particularly when conflicting technologies are introduced without clear explanation.
One key challenge is the lack of a roadmap for technology integration in social housing. Many housing providers struggle to explain to tenants how today’s interventions will benefit them in the long term. Furthermore, the risk of unintended consequences remains high. Without careful planning, well-intentioned innovations can worsen outcomes for tenants rather than improving them.
A Call for Further Research and Collaboration
To better understand these challenges, Dr. Bowers and his team conducted a systematic review of existing research on technology acceptance in social housing. Their findings were striking: despite an extensive search, they identified only three relevant studies. This suggests a significant gap in the evidence base and highlights the need for more research tailored to the unique context of social housing.
Dr. Bowers is now calling on housing providers and sector professionals to contribute their own experiences and data to help build a more comprehensive understanding of technology adoption. If you have insights to share, whether from formal research or practical implementation, his team wants to hear from you.
Looking Ahead: Practical Solutions for the Sector
The overall aim is to develop practical tools to support housing providers in embedding technology successfully. These tools will help sector professionals:
Communicate more effectively with tenants about new technologies.
Identify the psychological and social factors that influence adoption.
Design interventions that are evidence-based and tenant-centred.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that technology enhances, rather than disrupts, the lives of social housing residents. As Dr. Bowers aptly put it: “Technology is coming, and it’s coming at scale. But the key question is—how do we make it work for the people who need it most?”
The Healthy Homes Hub fully supports this work and encourages collaboration across the sector to tackle these challenges head-on. By bringing together housing professionals, researchers, and tenants, we can create a future where technology genuinely improves health and well-being in social housing.
Together, we can shape the future of housing technology for the better.
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