ABSTRACT
Individuals choose whether or not to move, and they make choices about whether to own or rent. These housing market choices do not occur in a vacuum; they are set within the changing economy, they differ from region to region in a country, and they are affected by government policy. In chapters 3 and 4, the context within which processes of housing choice and tenure choice occur were put aside, and the emphasis was on “revealed” choice behavior— choice patterns as they actually occurred. Constraints on choice were viewed only in economic terms which, of course, are important influences on the level and quality of housing that people are able to attain. Context effects at the macro level, however, are wider than income effects at the individual level. Socially accepted preferences and constraints and opportunities at the macro level also condition and limit housing choices.
