Exploring Engagement in Household Activities and Decisions on Residential Tenure and Household Type

Abstract

Residential locations play an important role in the spatial distribution of household activities and travel decisions and, subsequently, in long-term forecasting models. This study examined the relationship between housing location choices, time allocation to out-of-home activities, and other socioeconomic attributes related to household life-cycle stages. A choice model of housing tenure and type was formulated and estimated to provide a methodological framework for examining the impacts of engagement in household activities and life-cycle stage. Engagement in household activities was represented by factor scores from a factor analysis on the proportion of time households spent on 14 activity types. The scores of the identified factors, in addition to other socioeconomic and travel characteristics of the household, were estimated in a nested-logit choice model of housing tenure and type. Furthermore, households were segmented into different life-cycle stages on the basis of household size and age of members. Results from this study revealed that the life-cycle stage of a household had a significant statistical impact on the tenure choice to rent relative to the choice to own a home. In relation to time allocation for household activities, the time allocated to eating, recreation, and social activities was found to have the strongest statistical significance with respect to the choice of tenure and housing type. Overall, estimation results revealed a relationship between the choice of housing tenure and type, attributes of the household, and the allocation of activity time among its members.