Residential satisfaction in student housing: an empirical study in Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Despite the widely-recognized importance of student housing in educational settings, the housing experience of university students remains understudied. This study attempts to assess the residential satisfaction in student housing in Stockholm, Sweden and the indicators which predict residential satisfaction in this context. Moreover, it explores whether residential satisfaction varies between different socio-demographic groups. A list of satisfaction indictors was identified through reviewing literature and a number of semi-structured interviews, thereafter data was collected from a questionnaire survey with simple random sampling. The responses were analysed through descriptive analysis, stepwise regression, t-test and analysis of variance. The results show that the current occupants are generally satisfied with the student housing in Stockholm. Seven indicators appear to be predictors of satisfaction, among which the strongest ones are kitchen facilities, cleanliness and accessibility to public transport stations. In terms of socio-demographic characteristics, those with a shorter residential duration are found to be more satisfied. Furthermore, studio residents are more satisfied than corridor-room residents.