A growing number of elderly people have turned to public housing since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, according to a fresh Kyodo News survey, throwing a spotlight on the financial hardship facing the demographic.

The percentage of residents aged 65 or older using disaster relief housing in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures stood at 40.3 percent, sharply higher than the estimated 30 percent average for prefectures nationwide, the survey, released on Wednesday, showed.

The housing includes permanent residences leased to those who have been forced to live in temporary housing after losing their homes in disasters.