HOUSING CO-OPERATIVES - A STUDY CONCERNING STUDENTS AS HOUSING DEMANDERS

Abstract

The paper presents results of a primary study regarding the requirements of younger people who possibly could be members of housing co-operatives in the future. It concerns about the knowledge, the attitudes and the needs younger housing demanders have regarding housing co-operatives. As an element of the target group of young housing demanders students were interviewed. The analysis of the students' opinion gives a first assistance for strategic reflections and decisions. With regard to serious social and economic changes housing co-operatives face new challenges. In 2004 the ìExpertenkommission Wohnungsgenossenschaftenî ñ a commission of experts appointed by the Bundesministerium f¸r Verkehr, Bau und Wohnungswesen ñ made clear that it is important to develop the promising potentials of housing co-operatives especially by a purposeful marketing orientation. In this context it was recommended to focus on younger people as co-operative members in the future (in fact the average age of the members of housing co-operatives nowadays is quite high). Thatís what we do in our study as we focus on students (notably graduates) as a part of young housing demanders in the future. As an element of the group of younger people n = 400 incoming graduates from all faculties of N¸rtingen University were questioned. The data acquisition took place via a written group questioning with the help of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among the students in the context of a lecture, filled out by them and afterwards collected in. The results and especially the managerial conclusions aroused interest and were also discussed with managers of housing co-operatives in practice. With respect to the theoretical aspect primary studies concerning this topic are quite rare. The study examined the knowledge, the attitudes and the needs students have regarding housing co-operatives. In terms of knowledge a certain lack of information concerning housing co-operatives could be detected. Theyíve not rarely been seen nearby public utility institutions. Quite surprising were the results concerning the attitudes the students have towards the housing co-operatives. Their image was not ìold-fashionedî (as expected). The students were rather open-minded and attributed the housing co-operative a very attractive combination of steadiness, authenticity and well-pricing. As a consequence marketing activities in this group seem astonishing profitable. With regard to their needs the students prefer a good standard of accommodation. In this academic target group (probably not in the whole group of young housing demanders) a good quality of living is clearly seen more important than well-pricing, influence capability or further services offered. One problem for housing co-operatives is that students do not primarily relate them to the favoured good standard of accommodation. That seems to be a starting-point for purposeful marketing activities.