The importance of tenure to retirement housing purchasers and the impact of culture upon their attitudes to tenure

Purpose – In this paper culture is considered by marketers to have a profound influence on consumer behaviour, yet explanations of tenure preference ignore or dismiss culture as a factor underlying such preferences. This paper therefore aims to examine the attitudes of retirement housing purchasers to tenure, the effect of culture on these attitudes, and contrast some of the results of the research. Design/methodology/approach – In the paper data were collected by questionnaire. A sample of about 200 respondents was selected from all purchasers of retirement housing in the West Midlands region of the UK. Findings – The findings in this paper demonstrate that culture is an important factor affecting retirement housing purchasers' attitudes to housing tenure and that home ownership is part of their way of life. Originality/value – It is argued in this paper that culture cannot be dismissed or ignored when debating the tenure preferences of older people and the factors affecting these preferences; and that it is probably the prime factor underlying a “natural preference” for home ownership.