Living Spaces - Public Opinion Survey of the BBR 2001

Apartment and residential status. Housing costs. Settlement structures and the socio-structural context of the dwelling and its evaluation. Economic background. Neighbourhood and integration. Mobility.

Topics: 1. Housing: city size; living in the city centre or outside; location; duration of residence at the place of residence; satisfaction with the ciry or municipality (scalometer); duration of residence in the current dwelling; residential status; information on the last dwelling: location of the old dwelling; size of the last place of residence; residential status of the last residence.

2. Housing costs: tenants were asked: housing entitlement certificate required; amount of monthly rent; rent including heating and hot water; amount of monthly costs for heating and hot water; amount of the monthly heating flat rate; amount of the hot water money; amount of the monthly hot water lump sum; amount of the average monthly heating costs; payment cycle for heating and hot water; amount paid; amount of the annual amount for heating and hot water; assessment of rental costs; rent above or below the local rent index; receipt and amount of housing allowance.

3. Current apartment and residential environment: living space; number of residential premises; assessment of the size of the dwelling; equipment of the dwelling; equipment corresponds to needs; construction period; type of house; evaluation of the structural condition of the house; satisfaction with the immediate residential environment and the environmental conditions (scalometer); satisfaction with the apartment (scalometer).

4. Residential area and social structure: description of the residential environment and of the residential area; old buildings, newer houses, pure new development area, residential area or two-family houses or larger blocks of flats; personal significance of selected living conditions in the place of residence (e.g. job offers, infrastructure, residential area, security, neighbourhood composition etc.); satisfaction with these living conditions; subjective perceived population composition in the residential area.

5. Neighbourhood and integration: relationship between Germans and foreigners in the residential environment; attitude towards the spatial separation of Germans and foreigners in a neighborhood; German nationality; contacts to foreigners and Germans (segregation).

6. Mobility: intention to move; main reason for moving; relocation preference (target area); preferred federal state; assessment of the personal economic situation.

Demography: sex; age; marital status; employment status; assessment of one´s own job security; occupational status (occupational groups); employee status, worker status or civil servant status; highest school leaving certificate; household size; household composition: number of children under 6 years, from 6 to 13 years, adolescents from 14 to 17 years and persons from 18 years; net household income (classified); number of income earners in the household; number of fixed network telephone lines in the household.

Additionally coded was: survey year; mode of collection (CATI, CAPI); west/east; federal state; BIK community type; city and community type; weighting factors.