Explanations of Housing Satisfaction of Older Homeowners and Renters

Abstract

The purposes of this study are: (1) to investigate the usefulness of three types of variables in predicting the housing satisfaction of older homeowners and older renters; and (2) to determine whether these types of variables would function in similar ways in explaining the housing satisfaction of these two tenure groups. Personal-demographic variables, housing characteristics, and a group of subjective factors measuring "attachment to home" are examined. Participants were 464 older persons who completed a survey. Data analyses indicate that the attachment to home factors are more useful in understanding homeowners' housing satisfaction than the other two sets of variables, whereas physical housing characteristics are more relevant to renters' satisfaction. These findings suggest the importance of considering a wide variety of variables, including subjective ones, when assessing older persons' housing.