What's Important About Where You Live and Work?

Exploring What Makes a Place and Space Feel Like Home

The paradigm for work is shifting rapidly, and for many, the location of where that work is taking place matters less and less. Top talent may now no longer be tied to a specific location while living costs are fluctuating drastically around the country. With so many things to consider, what is top of mind for people in the U.S. today?

We recently spoke to 1,012 people currently employed domestically. They shared what matters to them both in their geographic location as well as the physical space they occupy. Generational differences were uncovered along with some pretty interesting plans for moving in 2021. Continue reading to see what people had to share.

Deciding Factors

Our research kicked off with a look into people’s considerations that were top priority when deciding where to live. Responses were then broken down further by generation.

The overall cost of living was the most common factor to consider among all respondents. With the cost of living changing so much, however, these considerations are difficult to pin down. Crime rates were commonly considered as well, and this factor has also changed drastically (unfortunately for the worse) with things like murder and nonnegligent homicide up nearly 15%, according to the FBI.

Many say millennials were hardest hit financially by the pandemic – they were the most likely to receive pay cuts and lose jobs – and their top living priorities reflected those unfortunate outcomes. They were the most likely generation to prioritize employment opportunities (42.1%) and gave top importance to overall cost of living (42.4%). Safety-related concerns were of relatively lesser interest. Baby boomers, on the other hand, put safety as a central concern. They were more interested in population size (45.2%) and crime rates (42.1%), both of which reflect an interest in personal safety, especially during a pandemic. With baby boomers being more likely to enter the “high risk” category for COVID-19, population size is an incredibly important health concern.

Work-Based Considerations

The nature of work has also been shaken up by the pandemic. With this in mind, the next part of our study looked at how employment factors into location choices overall, across generations, and by gender.

Most respondents (48.5%) still considered job opportunities and location to be of equal importance when deciding where to live. That said, so many remote opportunities have cropped up (and are anticipated to continue doing so) that work may not even have to be tied to a particular location. With millennials having such an economic fallout, however, they were the most likely generation to consider work when choosing a location, suggesting they may be more open to on-site opportunities than others.

Even with so many remote opportunities and an ongoing pandemic, many respondents appeared somewhat open to on-site work. Very few (13.9%) were not at all likely to consider a job that couldn’t be done remotely. In other words, most were open to it. Be that as it may, many anticipated a stipend to be included should the job require a move. Women, however, were particularly averse to considering a job that didn’t offer remote opportunities. This may be because of the additional household duties that have disproportionately fallen to them throughout the quarantine.

Home-Based Bliss

Lest we forget work is not the only important thing in life, we wanted to know what home features make respondents the happiest. We asked what features have most impacted their satisfaction with their living space as well as what would make them even more satisfied.

Perhaps the most telling statistic about the times we live in was the fact that a good internet connection was more important than an outdoor space among respondents. Though they rated the internet as contributing most to their satisfaction, most scientific research has documented the importance of unplugging and getting into nature as a way to achieve true happiness. With so many working remotely, internet frustrations may be more crucial than getting time outside. Millennials in particular wanted smart home features to make them more satisfied with their space.

Evidently, time outdoors was considered to be more of a luxury than a necessity. The majority of respondents said that if there was one thing they didn’t already have that could potentially add more satisfaction to their space, it was a swimming pool. A home gym was second on the list, though men were more likely than women to value this addition.

2021 Intentions

With a nod toward the future and perhaps even the present, we wanted to ask respondents what their specific plans were for 2021 with regards to moving. We looked at their plans, their motivations, and even their desired locations.

A third of respondents were considering a move as soon as this year. Moves were seemingly motivated by pandemic-related issues. Most wanted a lower cost of living, perhaps due to the pandemic’s financial impact both on finances as well as living costs by area. Something certainly pandemic-related – being able to work remotely – was a consideration for another 23.5%. And across all participants, including those who didn’t intend to move, 51.9% agreed that their current job was less likely to be tied to a particular location than it was prior to the pandemic.

We were surprised to find that New York City was the number one destination movers had in mind – surprised because even prior to the pandemic, NYC was seeing people leave the city in masses. Perhaps the drastically dropping rent prices have made the location regain its appeal, even without the necessity of having a job physically based there. Places like Los Angeles and Houston were also popular choices.

Improving Your Surroundings

Evidently, the pandemic has given us a lot to consider. People must factor in everything from safety to costs to work, all of which COVID-19 is seemingly changing on a daily basis. Your own personal surroundings, however, can be improved to bring you more satisfaction no matter where you choose to live or move.

Stoneside Blinds & Shades is ready to transform your entire space with a few simple but expertly crafted tweaks. The entire ambiance of your space can be improved overnight with our help and ultimately change the satisfaction you have with your home. In times like these, it’s nice to be able to control what we can where our happiness is concerned. If you’re interested, head to Stoneside Blinds & Shades today to see how we can help.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,012 current employees about what’s important to them concerning where they choose to live and work. Respondents were 52.9% men and 46.9% women. One respondent was nonbinary, and one respondent was genderqueer. The average age of respondents was 38.8 with a standard deviation of 11.6 years.

When identifying the most important factors in determining where they lived, respondents were instructed to select up to five options. When identifying the top features that add to satisfaction with their home, they were instructed to select up to three options.

Limitations

The data we are presenting rely on self-report. There are many issues with self-reported data. These issues include, but are not limited to, the following: selective memory, telescoping, attribution, and exaggeration.

Fair Use Statement

Feeling moved by this research? If you’re reflecting on your own living situation or know someone who is, perhaps you’d like to share this article with them. Just be sure your purposes are noncommercial and that you link back to this page.