A STUDY OF HOUSING ASPIRATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS OF CHINA'S GENERATION Y

Abstract

China's Gen Y (Post-80s) gradually entered the housing market amid rapidly rising housing prices. This study investigates their housing aspirations, focusing on the potential housing emulation behavior. A survey was conducted online to sample their housing conditions, housing aspiration and socializing patterns. The study examines the correlation between housing emulation indicators and housing aspiration gaps for subsamples stratified by income levels and housing tenure, holding other observed attributes constant. The results show that the housing aspiration gaps are positively correlated with housing emulation tendency but negatively correlated with socializing frequencies. Furthermore, the correlation between housing emulation and housing aspiration gap appears higher for the high-income and for owners. Renters, however, appear to have a more positive correlation between the housing emulation indicator and the aspiration gap regarding neighborhood quality. These findings indicate that the housing aspiration, and hence housing choices, of China?s Gen Y are linked to social interactions.