Moving later in life – preferences and opportunity

Statistics from Eurostat show that several European countries have an increasing proportion of elderly people, making their housing situation of increasing interest. For many years, it has been policy in Sweden to help elderly people remain in their current homes for as long as possible. This paper aims to find reasons why people want to move at different stages in life and investigate whether the pattern follows the life cycle in housing. Earlier research has been performed in the USA (Gibler and Clements III, 2011) and in China (Jia and Heath, 2016), but these questions remain understudied in Sweden.

A model of the demand for adapted houses is designed and tested on data gathered in Gävle in 2012. The method uses a binary choice model with stated preference data.

The results of this study show that earlier preferences and age determine the future living situation, but that senior living (rental or condominium) is most popular as a future home.

Not everyone has the economic resources to move according to their preferences; reasons include high monthly costs and taxes. Changes in the tax system may produce better moving chains and increase the supply of affordable housing.

The model in this paper could guide future studies within the area.