Technical use stated preference: a study in residential sector for college students

Abstract

In a dynamic and competitive market for a product or service to be chosen, it is very important to understand the needs of consumers. Some market research techniques are recommended to investigate consumer preferences. This paper reports on research of declared preference, with specific application to the process of choosing the location of housing for university students. Data collection was performed with students from a federal university, through a questionnaire composed of structured cards, where students would indicate their preferences. The composition of the sample was random, according to the students’ availability. The results reveal the preferences of this consumer segment, making possible a better understanding of the factors that are prevalent when choosing the site for housing. Another contribution of this work is to demonstrate the methodological procedures developed for the use of the declared preference technique and their respective results.

Keywords

• College students
• Declared preference
• Housing market