THE times they are a-changin', especially where our home lives are concerned.

That's according to one of the biggest ever studies into the UK's relationship with the place we call home.

A recently-published Home Truths Report, commissioned by IKEA, also reveals that despite soaring house prices, repossession and unpredictable interest rates, the public's biggest love affair is with their homes.

The Swedish furniture giant has been trading in the UK for 20 years, gracing our homes with their flat-packed modern utilitarian design. Commissioned for the anniversary, the report reveals just what has changed at home in the last two decades.

One of the most significant differences is that we are 50 per cent more affluent than we were in 1990. With most consumers agreeing that they have all the material things they need, our spending is increasingly about what we want rather than what we need.

We will stop at practically nothing to get what we want, even if it involves spending beyond our means. Consequently, consumer debt has almost trebled since 1996 and now stands at a staggering £1.3 trillion.

And because of today's hectic lifestyles, we have neither the time nor the energy to appreciate our homes. Around 60 per cent of the UK population agree that they never have enough time to get things done.

In the next decade, the number of people in this country being economically active at night is set to double, bringing the total to 14 million.

Nearly half of us admit that we are so tired in the evenings we often don't have the energy to do much. Our working lives leave us so on edge that 48 per cent of workers say they would take a less well paid job if it meant less stress.

Yet the role that home plays as a sanctuary from the demands of modern life seems to be becoming more important.

Despite the increasing numbers jetting away on holidays and day-trips, almost two-thirds of the UK public believe that their home is the most important place in the world.

It's a place in which we feel we can both express our growing individuality, and fulfil our wish to connect to others.

Many of those questioned admitted they were more content with their choice of home than with their partner!

The in-depth survey also found that home is a combination of five key components: relationships, memories, lifestyle, belongings and the physical house itself.

Poignantly, we are leading increasingly individualistic lives, yet still yearn for family and community connections. The number of people living alone rose from three million to seven million between 1971 and 2005.

The average household size in the UK has also fallen, driven by a combination of declining birth rates, growing numbers of lone parent families and an increase in the number of people living alone.

In the last few decades there has also been a significant growth in non-traditional' households, with around only 12 per cent of families in the UK comprised two parents and two children.

IKEA has launched their new manifesto Home is the Most Important Place in the World' with a hard-hitting brand campaign that supports the view that a home's soul is Not For Sale'.

The campaign asks the question do you live in a house or a home?' and encourages homeowners to see the memories in their home rather than the potential money.

Peter Hogsted, managing director of IKEA for UK and Middle Europe, says: "Almost two thirds of the UK agrees that their home is the most important place in the world to them, personally. However, it is only when it is compromised in some way that people really start to appreciate the value of the home. We do not believe that you can put a price on your home's soul and so are calling for a reappraisal and celebration of home."