The housing situation for students often comes into focus when a new academic year begins. The difficulties in finding a place to live are a recurring problem. In our latest report from UngInsikt, “Finding a Home, but How?”, we not only look at the challenge of finding accommodation but delve deeper to gain a more nuanced picture of students’ views on their housing.
Studies often mean a new home. The education may be offered in a different location, or it might be time to move out of the parental home due to age. Either way, a new academic year means many students are searching for a new home.
And the report confirms the prevailing picture. 40 percent of students find it difficult to find housing. Among younger students, half report having this difficulty.
An unexpectedly high figure, 27 percent, live in rental apartments with a first-hand contract, but a large portion of these are located in smaller towns where housing may be more accessible.
Those living in rental apartments are closely followed by the group still living at home. When broken down by age, we see that this mostly applies to younger students. It simply takes time to secure one’s own place. We can also see that those who have moved out often received help from family and friends. More than a third mention this as the way they found their new home.
The housing situation, unsurprisingly, affects students’ well-being. Significantly more of those who know where they will live in six months feel better than those who don’t.
When students furnish their homes, it is the large furniture chains that provide the decor for most. However, just over a quarter shop second-hand, and when broken down by gender, it is significantly more common for women to do so. Whether it’s new or used, students try to find a balance between quality and price. Not surprisingly, the group that considers themselves financially well-off is more likely to prioritize quality furnishings.
Looking ahead to post-graduation housing, 80 percent of students say they want to own their home at some point in the future. But judging by the responses, it will take some time before they can do so. Among those nearing graduation, only about a quarter believe they will have the financial means to own a home within five years.
Of course, we continue to follow students’ status regarding well-being, finances, and satisfaction with their educational choices in this UngInsikt report. We have now followed them for a year and can observe trends over time.
This time, we also have a section from Mecenat Insights. We conducted the This time we also have a supplementary report from Mecenat Insights with more in-depth questions about student housing. There, we can conclude that moving out comes at a cost. A large portion of the student group spends a higher share of their disposable income on housing than the general population. Despite this, the majority believe that their housing costs are reasonable. And when we look at satisfaction, nearly 9 out of 10 are satisfied with their living situation.
For more information, contact:
Arber Karaqica, Head of Marketing, Mecenat AB
arber.karaqica@mecenat.com
Pelle Ahlin Olofsson, Head of Public Affairs & Opinion, Demoskop
pelle.ahlin@demoskop.se
