A gap-theoretical path model of residential satisfaction and intention to move house applied to renovated historical blocks in two Chinese cities

Using data from eight historical blocks in two selected Chinese cities, this article presents the results of a path model, which captures both the direct and indirect relationships between social-demographics, residential satisfaction and intention to move. Using a gap theoretical framework, results of the path analysis suggest that the intention to move house is significantly and negatively affected by residential satisfaction. In turn, residential satisfaction is significantly influenced by the gap between aspired and actual housing and environmental attributes, proportional to aspiration level. Additionally, the intention to move house and the residential gap are influenced by a set of physical and social-demographical profiles. Residents who rent a house have a lower intention to move, while people living in historical blocks that are at the early renovation stage have a higher propensity to move. Among the various social demographical variables, age is found to be the most influential one, showing that older inhabitants have a lower intention to move house than younger inhabitants.