Prediction of Residential Satisfaction in South African Low-Income Housing: Role of Beneficiaries

Abstract

This article presents findings of an investigation, conducted in South Africa, on the influence of the beneficiaries’ participation in the formation of low-income housing residents’ satisfaction with their houses. The study was conducted among delivery practitioners of low-income housing and housing occupants. The research was conducted in municipalities in three metropolitan areas and one district in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data used in the study were obtained from a field questionnaire study. Using modeling software, the influence of beneficiaries’ participation on the satisfaction of low-income housing was investigated. The findings show that beneficiary participation on resident satisfaction was statistically significant and exacted a direct influence on the prediction of residents’ levels of satisfaction with their houses. However, because of the idiosyncratic data set used in the study, it remains to be seen if the evaluated relationships between beneficiary participation and resident satisfaction can be replicated to cross-cultural data sets. If the relationships can be replicated, the paper makes a significant contribution toward understanding residential satisfaction with subsidized low-income housing projects.