Sense of attachment to place and fulfilled preferences, the mediating role of housing satisfaction

Purpose – This study aims to examine the possibility that housing satisfaction mediates the relationship between fulfilled preference and a sense of attachment to place. Design/methodology/approach – A 15‐item questionnaire was administrated to 751 students residing in residence halls at a public university in Malaysia. The respondents were asked to choose their answer from a four‐point Likert scale that was constructed as follows: not at all; very little; mostly; and very much. Findings – The results of the survey revealed that housing satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between fulfilled preferences and sense of attachment to place. These results highlight the importance of students' fulfilled preferences. It reveals that the more students' preferences regarding residence hall were fulfilled, the more they were satisfied with their residence hall and felt attached to it. Originality/value – The findings of this study emphasise the importance of understanding students' residence hall needs and fulfilling their desire. These findings also emphasize that university students must not be viewed merely as temporary residents who stay in residence halls for just a few years.