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May2015 50 of Sydney siders rent or own an apartment 17 are renters 18 are owner occupiers 15 are investor owners 26 are families 70 support more apartment developments Apartment dwellers wants and needs Survey of 1000 apartment dwellers conducted by ResearchNow WHO LIVES IN APARTMENTS 2 Sydney is clearly swinging towards cosmopolitan apartment living with 35 of residents living in apartments and a further 15 being investors who own apartments. So 50 of Sydney siders own or rent an apartment. These figures come from an extensive poll undertaken by the independent polling company ResearchNow from the 13th to the 20th February 2015. Over 1000 people connected to apartments completed a 15 minute online survey than provides excellent data on just who lives in apartments what their life style preferences are how they vote their attitudes to public transport and many other areas. This edition of Urban Ideas records some of the results of the survey but can only present the tip of the iceberg of the enormous amount of data. Seonaid Chappell was the researcher from ResearchNow who worked with the Urban Taskforce to develop the questions and then analyse the results to outline key trends. With data from around 40 questions Seonaid has been able to filter responses to one question through age groups political persuasions renters or owners to give a focussed approach to the survey results. In this way we can see what percentage of Gen Y are Liberal voters who are apartment renters prefer public transport or how often over 60s owner occupiers eat at home. WHO IS THE APARTMENT COMMUNITY ResearchNow began their survey with a large number of Sydney siders and terminated 44 of these as they did not own rent or intend to move into an apartment. This left a poll size of 1008 people which is considered statistically to be a high number to get a real measure of how the apartment community thinks. The 56 of Sydney siders who were involved in apartments was made up of 18 owner occupiers 17 renters who do not own their apartment 15 investors who own an apartment but rent it out to others and a further 6 intenders who plan to buy or move into an apartment within the next 5 years. HOW CAN THE POLL DATA AFFECT PLANNING The key difference between apartment dwellers and house dwellers that comes from the poll is that apartment dwellers are more concerned about their neighbourhood. They want restaurants nearby they want to walk to the supermarket they want public transport nearby they appreciate shared amenities like parks and swimming pools. Clearly this means apartments are best zoned for more urban areas around transport nodes. Planners need to consider more mixed use precincts where jobs are close to home. More urban density can generate the need for more cafes laundries accountants bookkeepers art galleries and fitness centres all of which generate jobs. HOW CAN THE DATA AFFECT POLITICIANS We suspect that political candidates find it difficult to door knock each unit in an apartment block. It is much easier to knock on the front door of a detached house than try to get into the security lobby of an apartment block. So many politicians are probably over influenced by suburban house dwellers and the data from our poll on apartment dwellers will give politicians a perspective on this often hidden group. HOW CAN THE DATA AFFECT DESIGNERS DEVELOPERS OF APARTMENTS The poll has a lot of very useful information on just what apartment dwellers see as being important. The balcony for instance is seen as being far more important than a swimming pool particularly for renters. Car parking is another area where renters do not see this as being as important as investors do. Many developers include significant amenities but these need to be offset with higher purchase prices and higher body corporate fees. The survey in this edition of Urban Ideas gives some critical feedback from the investors the potential owners and the renters. With 50 of Sydney siders owning or renting an apartmentwe must plan the city in a new way The Urban Taskforce is keen to have responses to the proposals illustrated in this issue of URBAN IDEAS and we welcome comments to adminurbantaskforce.com.au Chris Johnson AM Chief Executive Officer Urban Taskforce Australia The key difference between apartment dwellers and house dwellers that comes from the poll is that apartment dwellers are more concerned about their neighbourhood. They want restaurants nearby ... to walk to the supermarket ... public transport nearby... and shared amenities... 3 The Sydney apartment community renters owners investors intenders looking to move into an apartment 6 15 17 18 OWNERS 24 are retired 83 own a car 44 are single divorced or separated 33 will vote Liberal are over 46 years old61 INTENDERS 35 are under 35 years old 54 are currently living in a larger family unit in the south west or north 20 are Asian 23 are over 60 years old 44 work full-time Looking to move into an apartment INVESTORS 64 are over 46 years old 52 live in the north south or eastern suburbs 25 earn more than 160k work full-time75 will vote Liberal40 Renting out their apartment RENTERS 68 are 2545 years old 61 have degrees or higher and are employed full-time 62 own a car 38 live in the city eastern suburbs 52 are single or in a relationship Dont own their own apartment Live in their own apartment 4 Who are the apartment community a b cd e f 11 24 1615 11 23 A B CD E F 11 24 1615 11 23 A B C D E F 4 15 16 22 16 26 A B C DE F 2 19 18 1810 33 B C F E D A 4 39 29 12 8 8 MARITAL STATUS ETHNICITY Other Multi-racial Middle Eastern North African Asian Caucasian 5 2 2 15 71 5 2 2 15 71 65 17 2 4 8 8 4 2 17 65 7 2 1 20 67 7 2 1 20 67 HOUSEHOLD SITUATION 11131814 YOUNG FAMILIES most kids under 12 years 1815 74 OLDER FAMILY most kids under 1221 years 2525 6 11 MATURE FAMILY most kids over 21 years 149 55 MATURE FAMILY 67633336 SINGLECOUPLE Intenders Investors Renters Owners Married Single Widowed Separated or divorced In a relationship Married Single Widowed Separated or divorced In a relationship 35 10 2 26 26 39 13 5 17 26 11 5 2 9 73 35 10 2 26 26 39 13 5 17 26 73 5 2 9 11 49 7 6 15 24 Intenders Investors Renters Owners AGE A 1824 years old B 2535 years old C 3645 years old D 4655 years old E 5660 years old F Over 60 years old 2 2 2 19 74 2 2 2 19 74 5 11TH GRADE OR HIGHER www.researchnow.comen-AU.aspx 13 13 13 13 13 17 17 Less than 44 999 45 00069 999 70 00099 999 100 000119 999 120 000159 999 More than 160 000 Prefer not to say 14 11 12 15 12 15 21 Less than 44 999 45 00069 999 70 00099 999 100 000119 999 120 000159 999 More than 160 000 Prefer not to say 3 10 8 18 14 25 22 Less than 44 999 45 00069 999 70 00099 999 100 000119 999 120 000159 999 More than 160 000 Prefer not to say 12 12 14 18 12 13 18 Less than 44 999 45 00069 999 70 00099 999 100 000119 999 120 000159 999 More than 160 000 Prefer not to say HOUSEHOLD INCOME EDUCATION LEVEL 11121214 11121214 5328 11121214 14171115 11121214 50475446 11121214 109813 11121214 5573 11121214 5741 83 Y 17 N 62 Y 38 N CAR OWNERSHIP YESNO 16 N 84 Y 7 N 93 Y VOTING 23 23 35 25 RATHER NOT SAYOTHER 8 4 8 7 GREEN 12 11 13 9 LABOR 27 22 25 27 LIBERAL 29 40 19 33 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE COLLEGE BUT NO DEGREE ASSOCIATE DEGREEEQUIVALENT BACHELORS DEGREEEQUIVALENT DOCTORATE OTHER OwnersRentersInvestorsIntenders KEY 6 Why do you live in apartments The three top reasons for living in an apartment are Location Affordability and Public Transport. Weaving throughout the responses are the issues of proximity convenience and access. Apartment dwellers want proximity to the city proximity to public transport proximity to others as well as access to shared facilities. Apartment living is seen as being where the action is which implies a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Another interpretation is that access to facilities becomes more important than ownership of the facilities. The house dweller will own more cars a swimming pool and a garden while the apartment dweller will only need access to these facilities often in a shared way. Why do you live or want to live in an apartment as opposed to any other type of dwelling SURVEY QUESTION OwnersRentersIntendersTotal A shared public space Mascot Central by Meriton Vantage South by Meriton Rhodes 60 52 5568 AFFORDABILITY 56 40 6156 CLOSE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT LINKSCONVENIENCE OF LOCATION 60 38 6860 APPROPRIATE TO CURRENT LIFESTYLE 51 42 5549 49 30 51 53 PROXIMITY TO THE CITY 48 27 51 53 ALLOWS ME TO LIVE WHERE I WANT 7 Altitude by Meriton along the Parramatta riverbank 13 15 14 11 6 11 6 513 11 15 12 CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OTHERS CLOSE TO MY DEMOGRAPHIC CANT AFFORD HOUSE SECURITY 18 17 16 20 ACCESS TO SHARED FACILITIES 14 25 13 12 FREES UP CAPITAL TO DO THINGS 916 14 19 CLOSER TO MEDICAL SUPPORT 38 34 34 43 UPKEEP IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY 29 29 22 36 DONT NEED ANYMORE SPACE 27 15 34 24 PROXIMITY TO WHERE I WORK www.meriton.com.au 8 What are the apartment must haves Only 56 of renters see secure car parking as a must have while 81 of the investors who own the apartment they rent see secure car parking as important. A similar difference occurs with guest parking gardens and a view. COULD INVESTORS BE OVER PROVIDING FOR THE AVERAGE RENTER 29 of owner occupiers see a picturesque view as being a must have but less than half this number 13 of renters are concerned with having a view. BALCONY 100 7560717368 The balcony is the most important facility according to all groups although interestingly renters are less keen on this than owner occupiers. OwnersInvestors RentersIntendersTotal 50 0 SECURE PRIVATE CAR PARK PICTURESQUE VIEW 50 60 65 84 59 15 14 21 19 15 38 29 32 52 36 7 6 7 6 6 35 22 40 36 30 4 3 4 5 4 29 16 34 31 24 2 1 2 2 2 69 56 81 80 65 21 29 13 22 16 41 39 51 71 44 11 6 12 11 9 LOW STRATA FEES SWIMMING POOL CABLE OR SATELLITE GYM GUEST CAR PARKING ROOFTOP GARDEN GARDEN TENNIS COURTS LAUNDRY ALLOWANCE OF PETS 9 How many people live in how many bedrooms for how many years Investors are the group that looks to long term ownership of apartments with 64 having owned their apartment for over 5 years. Owner occupiers are close behind with 55 having owned their apartment for more than 5 years. Only 24 of renters have been in the same apartment for 5 years but this jumps to 45 when previous apartments are included. So around half of renters seem to have been living in apartments for more than 10 years. How long have you lived inowned your current apartment SURVEY QUESTION OwnersRentersInvestorsRentersOwners 32 of apartments have only one person living in the apartment with over half of these in a 2 or 3 bedrooms apartment. 3 15 3 26 9 10 1 1 4 11 12 3 2 55 of apartments in Sydney are 2 bedrooms and 23 are single bedroom and 3 being studios giving a total of 81 being 2 bedrooms or less. 1 2 3 4 NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER APARTMENT 55 22 13 7 3 A B C D E 12 16 242524 A B C D E 64 15 11 6 4 A B C D E 40 23 18 11 7 A B C D E How many people live in your household and how many bedrooms does your apartment have SURVEY QUESTION Studio 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed 4 Bed A Over 5 years B 35 years C 12 years D 6 months1 years E Under 6 months 10 How important is it to you to live close to public transport Centrium by Meriton next to Chatswood station PROXIMITY TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT 45 38 16 Intenders 42 40 15 Investors 65 23 Renters 56 30 12 Owners 46 32 20 Terminates Very important Important Nice to have but not important Not very important 11 Mascot Central by Meriton walking distance to Mascot station 11 Only 56 of renters saw secure car parking as being a must have compared to 81 of investors. Clearly renters see closeness to public transport as being important with 88 saying this. Owner occupiers are also strong on public transport access with 86 seeing this as being important. The respondents to the survey who had to be terminated because they were not part of the apartment community still had 78 of respondents saying access to public transport was very important. Total Intenders Investors Renters Owners SECURE PRIVATE CAR PARKING 6956818065 GUEST PARKING 3522403630 Elysium by Meriton walking distance to Gordon station 12 22 the 18 to 35 year olds and the 36 to 45 year olds eat at home less than 4 nights a week so they are out eating at local restaurants half of the time. 43 of renters prefer to walk to the local grocery shop and 32 of owner occupiers also prefer to walk. What are the preferences of apartment dwellers to eating out shopping locally PREFERRED MODE OF TRANSPORT FOR GROCERY SHOPPING I eat at home every evening Less than 4 evenings a week Most evenings 57 a week I eat at home 1835 yrs 3645 yrs 4660 yrsTotal Over 60 yrs 22 57 21 22 59 19 14 70 16 18 64 18 12 71 17 HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT AT HOME This is where you get your coffee eat meals and do your shopping. Our survey asked some questions to test this proposition. OwnersRentersIntendersDwellers Apartment living is very much about the walkable precinct around your apartment being an extension of your unit. Walking Public transport Driving 35 59 6 75 2 24 7 50 43 32 75 6 13 renters have young families living in apartments13OwnersRentersInvestorsIntenders 28 of apartment dwellers who are planning to have children will not move out of an apartment HOUSEHOLD SITUATION 11131814 YOUNG FAMILIES most kids under 12 years 1815 74 OLDER FAMILY most kids under 1221 years 2525 6 11 MATURE FAMILY most kids over 21 years 149 55 MATURE FAMILY 67633336 SINGLECOUPLE I have enough children and will not be having more 43 I have no children nor will I be having any in the future 28 I have no children but plan to have them in the future 23 I have some children but want more 6 28 Yes I love apartment living regardless of children 72 No I will move out of an apartment to a house owners have young families living in apartments11 owners have older children generally at high school7 renters have older children generally at high school4 72 of apartment dwellers planning to have children will move out of their apartment to a house as their family grows. 14 Who are the future apartment dwellers DOWNSIZING 4650 years 5160 years Over 60 years Total Baby Boomers Yes from a larger apartment to a smaller apartment No always lived and intend to live in a similar sized apartment Yes from a larger house to a smaller apartment 5 22 73 6 38 55 7 43 50 38 56 7 The intender group which represents 6 of Sydney siders have indicated that they are interested in moving to an apartment. 24 of those intending to move to an apartment are aged 25 to 35 years old. Baby boomers are often thought to be interested in downsizing after retirement moving from a larger house to a smaller apartment. 38 of baby boomers are intending to move from a larger house to a smaller apartment. RENTERS OF APARTMENTS LOOKING TO BUY AN APARTMENT 46 70 61 69 50 TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME RENTING Less than 1 year 12 years 35 years 610 years Over 10 years 63 57 49 30 33 57 EDUCATION LEVEL 11th grade or higher High school graduate College but no degree Associate degree or equivalent Bachelors degree or equivalent Doctorate 31 21 51 71 91 50 AGE OF RENTER 1824 years old 25- 35 year old 3645 years old 5660 years old Older than 60 years old 4655 years old 56 Apartment 17 Town house 5 Semi-detached house 17 Detached house 5 Other INTENTION TO BUY 56 of those renters who intend to buy a dwelling are looking to purchase an apartment. 33 39 of apartment renters are 2535 years old. of current owner occupiers of aparmtnets are older than 60 years old. 15 Over 70 of apartment dwellers embrace growth and change and the development of more apartments in Sydney 76 Liberal 68 Labor 67 Greens I EMBRACE GROWTH AND ENJOY BEING A PART OF IT AND SEEING WHERE SYDNEY COULD GO IN THE FUTURE The ResearchNow survey also asked for political preferences of the apartment community so we have looked at the attitudes to growth and change through political preferences APARTMENT DWELLERS SEEM TO BE STRONGLY SUPPORTIVE OF FUTURE GROWTH THAT INCLUDES MORE APARTMENT BUILDINGS. Governments at state and local level need to take into account the apartment community which represents 56 of Sydney siders in relation to community attitudes to future growth. 2120 712 THERE SHOULD BE MORE APARTMENTS IT WOULD GIVE ME MORE CHOICE OF WHERE TO LIVE 5858 7558 APARTMENTS ARE A SIGN OF SYDNEY GROWTH AND ARE TO BE EXPECTED 2022 1831 THERE ARE TOO MANY APARTMENTS AND THEY NEED TO STOP TECHNOLOGY IN APARTMENTS HOW IMPORTANT IS CABLE OR SATELLITE CONNECTIONS IN AN APARTMENT 47 Liberal 33 Labor 16 Greens How do you feel about growth and development SURVEY QUESTION Total Intenders Investors Renters Owners 79 Liberal 66 Labor 62 Greens THE INCREASING NUMBER OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN SYDNEY ARE A SIGN OF GROWTH AND ARE TO BE EXPECTED 7 Liberal 14 Labor 16 Greens I ACTIVELY FIGHT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PLANS 711118 701119 74819 6421 15 701119 I hate change I fight growth I embrace growth 16 GPO Box 5396 Sydney NSW 2001 Level 12 32 Martin Place Sydney NSW Level 6 London Circuit Canberra ACT T 02 9238 3955 F 02 9222 9122 E adminurbantaskforce.com.au W www.urbantaskforce.com.au SYDNEY APARTMENT SURVEY Who lives in apartments and what do they want The Urban Taskforce commissioned ResearchNow to undertake an extensive in depth survey of apartment dwellers in Metropolitan Sydney. The poll was undertaken online from 13 February to 20 February 2015 through over 1000 15 minute interviews. The research was managed by Seonaid Chappell who developed the questions with the Urban Taskforce and then analysed the results. The Urban Taskforce believes this survey is one of the most detailed undertaken of apartment dwellers. Research supported by Meriton. The photographs of apartments in this publication are of projects by Meriton. Contact details for ResearchNow Seonaid 0406 691 907 Seonaidandersonhotmail.com Johanna 03 9626 4704 jgrieveresearchnow.com