A Study on Perceptions of Residential Neighbourhood Environments with Regional Factors

The reasons behind people’s attachment to their residential areas are diverse and complex. Traditional empirical studies often use satisfaction with the living environment as the dependent variable, employing general ordered probit models for analysis. However, this approach overlooks the fact that individuals are embedded in their environments, thereby disregarding the influence of ‘group-level’ environmental contextual factors. This study proposes the use of a hierarchical ordered probit model to examine how age cohorts perceive their residential environments while being embedded in broader contextual factors. It also considers the impact of the ‘local support rate’ to determine whether regional factors, proximity to original residences, and family relationships significantly influence individuals’ attachment to their living environments. By employing a hierarchical ordered probit model to analyse residents’ attitudes toward their living environments, this study accounts for the embedded relationship between individuals and their environments. It also adheres to the assumption of independently and identically distributed errors in regression analysis. This approach enables a clearer identification of the key regional factors affecting residential satisfaction. The findings can provide local governments with precise recommendations for regional development and enhance the quality of life for residents.