Abstract
Prior studies have found only a modest relationship between objective and subjective crowding, defying logic and commonsensical notions of why people feel crowded. Using data from a representative sample of Bangkok, Thailand, where the level of household crowding is four times that in western societies, we explore several possibilities of why this is the case. Examining seven different indicators of objective crowding, our analyses suggest that the modest relationship is not an artifact of measurement. Contrary to the assumption of prior investigations, the findings indicate that the objective-subjective crowding relationship is nonlinear and that there is a ceiling effect muting the impact of increased objective crowding. The analyses further suggest that the strength of the relationship is mitigated somewhat, with part of the feeling of being crowded accounted for by household circumstances, such as the degree of control an individual has over the use of household space.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baldasarre, Mark (1979).Residential crowding in urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Baldassare, Mark (1981). The effects of household density on subgroups.American Sociological Review 46, 110–118.
Booth, Alan (1976).Urban crowding and its consequences. New York: Praeger.
Booth, Alan & Edwards, John N. (1976). Crowding and family relations.American Sociological Review 41, 308–321.
Booth, Alan, Johnson, David, & Edwards, John N. (1980a). Reply to Cove and Hughes.American Sociological Review 45, 870–873.
Booth, Alan, Johnson, David, & Edwards, John N. (1980b). In pursuit of pathology: The effects of human crowding.American Sociological Review 45, 873–878.
Choldin, Harvey (1978). Urban density and pathology. In R. H. Turner et al. (Eds.).Annual Review of Sociology. Palo Alto: Annual Reviews, Inc.
Edwards, J.N., Fuller, T.D., Sermsri, S., & Vorakitphokatorn, S. (1994).Household crowding and its consequences. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Freedman, Jonathan (1975).Crowding and behavior. New York: Viking.
Goldstein, Sidney & Goldstein, Alice (1986).Migration in Thailand: A twenty-five year review. Paper No. 100. Honolulu: East-West Population Institute.
Gove, Walter R. & Hughes, Michael (1979). Possible causes of the apparent sex differences in physical health: An empirical investigation.American Sociological Review 44, 126–146.
Gove, Walter R. & Hughes, Michael (1980). The effects of crowding in the Toronto study: Some methodological and empirical questions [a comment on Booth and Edwards, 1976].American Sociological Review 45, 864–870.
Gove, Walter R. & Hughes, Michael (1983).Overcrowding in the household. New York: Academic Press.
Gove, Walter R., & Hughes, Michael, & Galle, Omer (1979). Overcrowding in the home: An empirical investigation of its possible pathological consequences.American Sociological Review 44, 59–80.
Hall, Edward T. (1969).The hidden dimension. Garden City: Anchor Books.
Milgram, Stanley (1970). The experience of living in cities.Science 167, 1461–1468.
Stokols, Daniel (1972). A social psychological model of human crowding phenomena,journal of the American Institute of Planners 38, 72–84.
Todaro, Michael P. (1989).Economic development in the Third World. New York: Longman.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Edwards, J.N., Fuller, T.D., Sermsri, S. et al. Why people feel crowded: An examination of objective and subjective crowding. Popul Environ 16, 149–173 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02208781
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02208781