Re-searching the labyrinth of life-styles

Abstract

This study evaluates three main assumptions underlying the belief that research on life-styles is essential to gain insight in the demand side of the housing market. First, traditional demographic and socioeconomic variables are thought to have become less adequate for predicting residential preferences because of the increased sociocultural complexity of contemporary society. Life-styles could provide the necessary additional information. Second, certain life-style groups supposedly prefer specific aggregated types of housing and environment (woonmilieus). Third, residents supposedly favor homogeneous life-style settings. These assumptions are not substantiated by the results of a survey among the tenants of a housing association in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In the discussion it is argued that the findings may have a more general validity. Life-styles are probably not necessary as a supplement to traditional variables. Moreover, other additional predictors (specifically, single sociocultural characteristics and activities) appear to be less problematic and more suitable to account for the consequences of sociocultural diversity. These variables may also facilitate the understanding of housing preferences and thus further a better match between supply and demand.

Different Areas, Different People? Migration to Popular and Less‐Popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands

“…income, education, or age) may no longer be sufficient to explain residential preferences due to a trend of greater differentiation in housing behaviour (see, e.g. Heijs et al ., , ; Jansen, ). It is argued that this differentiation is generated by several demographic, socioeconomic, and sociocultural changes that have taken place in Western countries, such as smaller households and a larger variation in household types, a greater variety of specific lifestyle‐based subcultures, and the increased share of affluent households (Kersloot and Kauko, ).…”

‘The older adult’ doesn’t exist: using values to differentiate older adults in the Dutch housing market

“…Even though psychographic instruments have been criticized (see e.g. Heijs et al, 2009Heijs et al, , 2011Jansen, 2012), they have proven their value in market segmentation when they are combined with more product-specific variables such as media usage (Wedel & Kamakura, 2000).…”

“…As a result, it has been argued that socio-demographic characteristics alone are no longer sufficient to predict the housing preferences of (older) consumers (see e.g. Heijs et al, 2009Heijs et al, , 2011Jansen, 2012).…”

Effects of Poverty on Urban Residents’ Living and Housing Conditions in Nigeria

“…Coolen, Boelhouwer, and van Driel (2002) and Heijs, van Deursen, Leussink, and Smeets (2011) asserted that socio-demographic characteristics have significant relationship with housing affordability. Manrique and Ojah (2003) discovered males are more probable of having a house.…”