Analysis of the Socio-Economic Characteristics of Inhabitants in Selected Public Residential Housing Estates in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the socio-economic attributes of residents in public residential estates in the capital cities of Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin and Abuja. The research examined the sex, age, education, marital status, household size, occupation and level of income of the respondents. The total number of housing units in the study area was 3784 and a sample size of 421 respondents was used. Data obtained from the questionnaires were processed and analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16. The results were presented in form of tables, percentages, maps and charts as appropriate. The findings revealed that most of the respondents are males (51.2%), while 42.29% are females The ratio of productive age (31-50) was more than that of dependency. The majority of the working population was in the public sector. 78.97% of the respondents were married, while 15.65% were single. The total number of employed respondents in the private and public sectors (including the self-employed) constitutes the highest percentage. 82.43% of respondents had university and polytechnic education. Also, the homeowners dominated the tenant-occupiers. Findings revealed that the general monthly income is low with 44.1% of respondents earning less than ₦50,000 per month and the type of residential apartment showed that bungalows constitute 40% of the buildings across all the residential estates. 69.12% of the estates were managed by self-help groups. The maximum number of people living in the houses is between 3 and 5 people, which constitutes the highest number (60.71%) of occupants