Living Spaces - Public Opinion Survey of the BBR 2004

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 place of residence (scalometer); duration of residence in the current dwelling; residential status; distance of the current dwelling to the last place of residence; 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 and amount paid; annual amount for heating and hot water; assessment of rental costs; receipt and amount of housing benefit; owners were asked: type of ownership acquisition (old stock, new construction, inheritance); claiming state subsidies (owner-occupied housing allowance or §10e of the Income Tax Act); amount of the monthly charge for interest rate and repayment; amount of monthly operating expenses for heating, hot water, refuse collection, etc.; amount of housing benefit to be paid for freehold flat.

3. Current dwelling and living 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; disabled access: elevator in the house; overcoming of stair steps; ramps for overcoming stair steps; constructional condition of the house; satisfaction with the apartment (scalometer); satisfaction with the immediate residential environment and the environmental conditions in the living environment (scalometer).

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

5. Neighbourhood and integration: the relationship between Germans and foreigners in the residential area; attitudes 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 (destination area); whereabouts in the federal state or intention to relocate to another federal state and naming this federal state; in general preferred residential area; preferred residential area in the metropolis; preferences for an old building quarter or a new building quarter; evaluation of the personal economic situation; employment status; assessment of the personal job security; distance between workplace and flat; problems in reconciling family and career.

Demography: sex; age; marital status; household type; employment status; full-time or part-time employment; occupational status; occupational groups (current or former main activity); employee status, worker status or civil servant status; school leaving certificate; completed vocational training or study; household size; household composition: number of children under 6 years of age, from 6 to 13 years old, young people from 14 to 17 years old and persons aged 18 and over; number of income earners in the household; net household income; employment status of other persons in the household or unemployed, pensioners or students in the household; five years ago still other persons in the household and reasons for the change of household composition (children´s excerpt, separation, death of one family member); extension of the household by further persons in the last five years and reasons; number of landline telephone connections in the household; life satisfaction (scalometer).

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