Survey data analysis: preferred unit styles and costs
Sarah L. Samuels | Eric D. Luskin
Student housing has the potential to offer multiple benefits and risks. Living in student-focused housing can, for example, ease a student’s adjustment to college, improve study habits and enhance general well being (Enochs & Roland, 20061). From the broader standpoint of the college or university, housing is an increasingly important factor in recruiting new students (June, 20062). In nationwide research by The Scion
Group, many schools have reported that residential learning communities have been effective at increasing students’ engagement and retention. For the larger communities in which schools are located, purpose-built student housing may enhance neighborhood life and provide increased partnerships between the school and community, such as expanding service learning opportunities for students.
Nonetheless, these benefits also come with challenges, potentially including high financial costs and negative impact on public relations. Accordingly, the more an institution understands about student housing, the better it can minimize the risks while capitalizing on the benefits.
Over the past ten years, The Scion Group has collected survey responses from more than 30,000 students through customized survey instruments developed to address the needs of specific clients and projects.
The following analysis considers 13 of those surveys, representing responses from nearly 6,000 students.
The selected surveys are included where the questions were similar enough to support comparisons. These surveys have a specific focus on single-student preferences regarding a variety of unit types.
By examining multiple unit types, the physical attributes students prefer can be studied – for example, what features and amenities will students dislike, find acceptable or find particularly appealing, and how much privacy is worth additional cost