Understanding the relationship between residential environment, social exclusion, and life satisfaction of private renters in Shenzhen

Understanding the relationship between residential environment, social exclusion, and life satisfaction of private renters in Shenzhen

Li, B. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)
Jin, C. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)
Jansen, S.J.T. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)
van der Heijden, H.M.H. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)
Boelhouwer, P.J. (TU Delft Real Estate Management)

2023

The recent revival of the private rented sector in many regions highlights the importance of understanding the well-being of private renters. While there is a consensus that private renters are less satisfied with their life than homeowners, little attention has been given to examining the life satisfaction of private renters from different sub-sectors, nor has the underlying mechanism linking residential environment and life satisfaction been thoroughly investigated. The present paper aims to address these gaps by examining the life satisfaction of private renters from different sub-sectors in Shenzhen, China. We propose a model, based on Amérigo and Aragones’ (1997) theoretical framework, that links residential environment, social exclusion, and life satisfaction. The model fits well with the data collected from 619 renters. The results showed that only 38% of the respondent private renters were satisfied with their life. Furthermore, we found urban village renters were significantly less satisfied with their life compared with renters living in commercial housing and Long-term Rented Apartments. Path analysis results suggest that some objective aspects of the residential environment, renters’ perceived social exclusion, and their residential satisfaction could explain a substantial proportion of the variances in life satisfaction while the influence of demographic variables was found to be insignificant. Perceived equal citizenship rights, perceived discrimination, and perceived reasonable rent were shown to have significant effects on life satisfaction. The paper concludes with a discussion on policy implications aimed at enhancing the life satisfaction of private renters.

Life satisfaction
Private renters
Residential environment
Residential satisfaction
Social exclusion
Sub-sectors

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b591807c-eeae-45c8-ab01-ca495c8d1117

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-023-10049-7

1566-4910

Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 38 (4), 2449-2472

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2023 B. Li, C. Jin, S.J.T. Jansen, H.M.H. van der Heijden, P.J. Boelhouwer