The survey explored the expectations and goals of Australians both in and approaching retirement, and looked into the strategies and asset classes being used by Australians to achieve those goals.

When asked which asset class was most likely to produce the best returns over the next five years, residential property narrowly proved the most popular, with 27.7 per cent of respondents selecting this asset class.

Australian shares came a close second, with 25.5 per cent of respondents expecting this asset class to offer the best returns, while 20.6 per cent expect international shares will be the strongest performing over the next five years.

The enthusiasm for residential property was not shared for other forms of property, with only 5 per cent of respondents expecting commercial property to offer the best results, and no one placing their hopes in real estate investment trusts.

Support was also low for private equity, fixed income funds and ETFs, with only 0.7 per cent, 1.4 per cent, and 7.8 per cent respectively selecting these asset classes.

The report and its further findings will be published by Nest Egg in the coming weeks.