HOUSING PREFERENCES: AN ANALYSIS OF MALAYSIAN YOUTHS

Housing preferences among Malaysian youths are an important issue because the housing unit prices nowadays are often unaffordable. Malaysian youths confront various challenges nowadays, including marriage, relocating away from home upon graduation, and finding new work opportunities. Youths have developed into the primary section of the housing market who are constantly faced with housing options and decisions. Besides, youths have different preferences for housing characteristics throughout their particular stage of life, which will significantly impact their future lives. Data was gathered from a survey questionnaire answered by 174 Shah Alam youths aged from 18 to 35. This research focuses on identifying the preferred types of houses chosen by youths, involving features such as location, housing price and type of house to live in. The results also showed that the highest-ranked preferred factors were the financial factors, followed by the neighbourhood, location, and design factors.

120 The Experience of Housing Need Amongst Families Caring for Children with Medical Complexity: A Qualitative Study

Primary Subject area Complex Care Background Caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMC) face many financial, social and emotional stressors related to their child’s medical condition(s). Previous research has demonstrated that financial stress among this population can have an impact on their housing situation. Families of CMC may face other unique housing challenges such as disability accommodations in the home and housing space and layout. Objectives The primary aim of this study was to explore families’ perspectives and experiences of housing need, and its relationship to their child’s health status as it pertains to CMC. Design/Methods We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews to identify themes surrounding families of CMC’s experiences of housing need. Parents of CMC were recruited through purposive sampling from the Complex Care Program at a tertiary pediatric health sciences centre. Recruitment ceased when thematic saturation was reached, as determined by consensus of the research team. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Twenty parents completed the interview, of whom 89% were mothers and 42% identified a non-English language as their first language. Two major themes and five subthemes (in parentheses) were identified: 1) the impact of health on housing (housing preferences, housing possibilities, housing outcome as a trade-off) and 2) the impact of housing on health (health of the caregiver, health of the child). Some parents reported that their child’s medical needs resulted in specific preferences regarding the location and layout of their home. Parents also indicated that their caregiving role often affected their income and home ownership status, which in turn, affected their housing possibilities. Thus, the housing situation (location and layout of the home) was often the result of a trade-off between the parent’s housing preferences and possibilities. Conclusion Housing is a recognized social determinant of health. We found that among CMC, health also appears to be a significant determinant of housing as families reported that the health of their child impacted their housing preferences and the options available to them (possibilities). To support the health of CMC and their families, policies targeting improved access to subsidized housing, improved sources of funding and regulations allowing families who rent to make accessibility changes are vital. Future research should investigate the impact of household income on housing need and identify interventions to support appropriate housing for CMC.

Assessing housing preferences of young civil servants in Malaysia: do location, financial capability and neighbourhood really matter?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the key factors that influence the housing preferences of young civil servants in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 400 respondents who fulfilled the eligibility criteria of civil servant working in Malaysia aged between 20 and 40 years, and currently renting a house, or staying with friends, immediate family or relatives. Data were analysed via exploratory factor analysis and Pearson correlation. Findings The results reveal that financial capability is the factor that most strongly influences the housing preferences of young civil servants, followed by neighbourhood and location. Young civil servants are highly inclined to consider the monthly repayment amount as the most important issue when deciding to buy a house. Furthermore, they prefer to buy a house in a neighbourhood that ensures high security and protection against crime. Practical implications Housing developers should develop affordable housing in suitable neighbourhoods and locations to match homebuyers’ preferences to avoid a mismatch between housing demand and supply, which is obviously one of the greater risks of unsold homes. Originality/value Given the lack of focus on this precise research sample (i.e. young civil servants), the study is justified in terms of its originality, as it examines a specific cohort by focussing on the correlations of location, financial capability and neighbourhood with housing preferences of young civil servants in Malaysia. These insights are invaluable, as this group has not been the specific focus of research.

Żywiołowe rozprzestrzenianie się Poznania: profil morfologiczny i mikroekonomiczny

The aim of the article is to assess Poznań’s urban sprawl from the perspective of the morphology of space and financial situation of suburban households. The morphological assessment uses a method based on two grids of squares with a side: 1 km, 500 m; and data on the location of buildings from CCGCD. On the other hand, the assessment of households was carried out on the basis of the CSO Household Budget database. The results of the research indicate that the analyzed communes in the Poznań area are characterized by a moderate degree of disorder in the spatial structure. There are no communes with a completely compact specificity, there are also no communes with an absolutely high degree of spatial disorder. Households causing urban sprawl in Poznań are entities that incur moderate financial losses in order to maximize their housing preferences.