Residential Choice from a Lifestyle Perspective

Abstract Studies of residential choice have traditionally focused on the influence of demographic and socio‐economic factors and on barriers for moving between the sectors of the housing market. These studies are crucial for determining when individuals tend to move and what they prefer and choose under different conditions and circumstances. However, studies do not address questions regarding individual relationships to dwellings or reasons and ways in which individuals choose to live. In this paper it is suggested that the use of a lifestyle approach helps to explain these issues. The lifestyle approach serves as an additional tool to traditional socio‐demographic differentiation by including aspects such as subjective patterns of orientation, preferences and cultural affiliation. Lifestyle is a frequently used term in the literature on housing. The meaning of the term is rather ambiguous, with a range of definitions. The aim of this paper is to present a theory of residential choice based on lifestyle indicators and to present the results of a study of residential choice based on this perspective. The study shows that some lifestyle factors are significant for explaining the choice of residence. The main conclusion is that disposition – personal tradition – strongly influences the choice of residence despite post‐modern theories emphasizing the decisive influence of cultural emancipation and personal realization. The article is based on a case study in Denmark. Keywords: LifestyleResidential choiceMigration Notes 1. Households consisting of a couple with children – the nuclear family – represent only 18% of all households in Denmark, and an increasing share of households (50%) consists of single people (Statistics Denmark Citation2003).