Of those householders not looking to move, 61% of people aged 55+ said it was because they are happy with their property compared to just 28% of those aged 34 and under, according to research from HSBC.
With young people unable to buy and older homeowners unwilling to sell, the generational divide in the UK property market is likely to cause housing stagnation in 2012, according to HSBC.
Of those people aged under 34 who are not planning to buy or sell a property, 29% cited having an insufficient deposit, 15% are concerned about not getting a mortgage, while 14% worry about their employment prospects.
While financial concerns were a factor for many young people resigned to staying where they are, 10% said they simply did not wish to own a home.
Almost 70% of people aged 55+ are thinking of selling a property to downsize and release some, or all, of the equity held within it.
Peter Dockar, HSBC head of mortgages said: “Our research suggests that the current economic climate is of particular concern to younger people who either want to get on the housing ladder or move on to a larger property.
“All this supports the prediction of the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) that lending will fall this year. However, HSBC has no intention of closing its doors to customers.”
Last week, HSBC announced it plans to lend £15bn in mortgages to UK borrowers in 2012, with £3bn dedicated to first-time buyers.
The commitment would secure HSBC 11.3% of the UK mortgage market, if gross mortgage lending totals the CML forecast of £133bn for 2012, and set it on course for the largest share of home lending ever in the UK.
