CAPÍTULO 3. ESTRUCTURA DE LA PRENSA EXTRANJERA EN MÁLAGA
6. El crecimiento del sector de la prensa extranjera
Introduction
This part details findings from factor analyses that deal with answers from all respondents on sets of items in the questionnaire, including reasons for home purchases, home features, attitudes toward solar features, equipment owned, self-reported conservation behaviors, energy policy preferences, environmental attitudes, early adopter characteristics, and homeowner satisfaction with their new homes.
Factor Analysis of Reasons for Purchase
Factor analysis of 20 of the 24 potential reasons for purchasing a particular home resulted in six dimensions. These 20 items are discussed in Chapter 7 (New Home Search and Purchase Decision), and were asked of all respondents.2
These six dimensions are as follows: 1. Company reputation and performance 2. Safe and secure area
3. Familiarity with area 4. Convenience of access 5. Investment potential
6. Other advantages of the location.
Company Reputation and Performance
The first dimension reflects respondent perception of and experience with the company that offered the home. The reputability of the builder, the helpfulness of the sales staff, and—to a lesser extent—the energy use aspects of the home combine to form this factor. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor One: Company Reputation and Performance Eigenvalue3=3.148 and % of variance explained=15.738
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Helpfulness of staff .821
Builder reputation .811
Availability of very energy-efficient home .696
2The other four items were asked only of subsets of respondents.
3Eigenvalues are a special set of scalars associated with a linear system of equations that are sometimes also
Safe and Secure Area
The second dimension reflects concerns that homebuyers with families exhibit, including if the neighborhood is safe and secure, if the schools are good, and, in general, if the home is in a high- quality neighborhood. Three-quarters of the buyers have children; therefore, this factor clearly represents their concerns. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Two: Safe and Secure Area
Eigenvalue=2.034 and % of variance explained=10.168
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Safe and secure feeling .819
Quality of schools .627
Quality of neighborhood/community .609
Familiarity with the Area
The third dimension reflects previous knowledge of the area and the people who live there, as well as common areas for family and friends to gather. Although related to the idea of a safe, secure, and high-quality neighborhood, familiarity with places and people forms a separate dimension. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Three: Familiarity with Area
Eigenvalue=1.998 and % of variance explained=9.991
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Close to friends .797
Close to parks/playgrounds .759
Knows the area .577
Convenience of Access
The fourth dimension reflects the convenience of access to and from the neighborhood in terms of closeness to work (for example, the I-15 freeway that runs north and south and can be taken to downtown San Diego) and the proximity of shopping centers and other services. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Four: Convenience of Access
Eigenvalue=1.961 and % of variance explained=9.805
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Close to work .735
Near freeway .703
Near services .673
Investment Potential
At the time they purchased their homes, respondents considered the investment potential of the property. The fifth dimension reflects this as a distinct area of concern. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Five: Investment Potential
Eigenvalue=1.439 and % of variance explained=7.193
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Investment potential .694
Desirable area .613
Other Advantages of the Location
The sixth dimension reflects other advantages of the property considered by homeowners at the time of purchase. The fact that these homes were exempt from Mello-Roos taxes—which could have amounted to as much as $500 to $700 a month—was a positive consideration. In addition, because the homes were built on a mesa some 15 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, they had
pleasing views of the surrounding hills and, in some cases, of the ocean. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Six: Other Advantages of the Location Eigenvalue=1.409 and % of variance explained=7.045
Key Definers Factor Loadings
No Mello-Roos taxes .586
Great view .581
Together, these six dimensions (factors) account for 59.940% of the variance in responses to the 20 items. These findings convey the sense that homeowners in the upper-middle price range are differentiated in looking at their experience with the product and the sales staff; whether the homes are located in a safe, secure quality area; their familiarity with the area and its people; the convenience of the homes relative to their places of business, freeway access, and services;
whether the home will increase in value; and other distinct advantages the homes might have, such as lower taxes than other new homes and views. These dimensions together help to describe the key attributes and experiences that a variety of new homebuyers desire.
Factor Analysis of Home Features
The four questionnaires replicated 15 items that pertain to the importance of the features of the house in the home-purchase decision, and these were similarly factor analyzed. The items form three major dimensions:
1. Overall design
2. Size of home and number of bedrooms 3. Single-story option.
Overall Design
The first dimension reflects aspects of the house’s overall design, including quality of light, sense of openness, spaciousness, layout, and architectural design. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor One: Overall Design
Eigenvalue=3.726 and % of variance=24.840
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Quality or sense of light .766
Spaciousness/openness .741
Floor plan/layout .699
Architectural design .690
Size of Home and Number of Bedrooms
The second dimension reflects the homebuyers’ interest in the number of bedrooms and the overall square footage of the home. SheaHomes offered a room that could optionally be a sixth bedroom or a study, playroom, or other space. This option was commented on favorably by several homeowners in the qualitative interviews before the survey. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Two: Size of Home and Number of Bedrooms Eigenvalue=2.253 and % of variance=15.022
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Number of bedrooms .764
Single-Story Option
The third dimension concerned the availability of a single-story option, offered only by SheaHomes. This option was critical to a subset of the homebuyers, according to information obtained in the qualitative interviews. Because SheaHomes had limited the number of single- story homes, some homebuyers reported they had reluctantly purchased two-story homes because they loved the area, builder, and other aspects of the homes, but that single-story homes were not available. Most homebuyers had children and were happy with the two-story option. The item that defines this dimension and its factor loading are shown below.
Factor Three: Single-Story Option Eigenvalue=2.094 and % of variance=13.960
Key Definer Factor Loading
Single-story option .739
Together, these three dimensions (factors) account for 53.822% of the variance in response to the 15 items. The findings convey the sense that architectural design and, perhaps surprisingly, the quality of light, are key aesthetic aspects that appeal to different homebuyers. The size of the homes and the number of bedrooms (as well as the versatility of the bedrooms for other uses) is also a distinct consideration. For some buyers, a single-story option is important. The availability of this option may have contributed to age diversity in the SheaHomes neighborhoods.
Factor Analysis of Attitudes toward Solar Features
Four items queried respondents on how desirable and cost effective solar water heating and solar PV systems are in new homes, as discussed in Chapter 13 (Attitudes toward Solar Features in New Housing). Interestingly, the factors do not form around solar technologies, but instead form around the desirability of the innovations and their cost effectiveness. The factor analysis of these four variables resulted in two dimensions:
1. Desirable innovation
2. Cost effectiveness of solar features.
Desirable Innovation
The first dimension reflects the sense that solar PV and solar water heating systems are desirable innovations for new homes. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor One: Desirability of Solar Features as Innovations Eigenvalue=1.804 and % of variance explained=45.092
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Solar PV systems are a desirable innovation for new homes .930 Solar water heating systems are a desirable innovation for new homes .922
Cost Effectiveness of Solar Features
The second dimension reflects the sense that solar PV and solar water heating systems are cost effective. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Two: Cost Effectiveness of Solar Features Eigenvalue=1.737 and % of variance explained=43.430
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Solar PV systems are cost effective .927
Solar water heating systems are cost effective .892
Together, these two dimensions (factors) account for 88.522% of the variance in response to the four items. The difference in perceived desirability and cost effectiveness of the solar features distinguishes among respondents.
Factor Analysis of Equipment Owned
Nine questions asked respondents if they owned the following equipment, which was potentially relevant to their energy use:4 two refrigerators, ceiling fans, standalone freezers, dimmer switches
for lights, CFLs, hot tubs, hot water flow regulators, pools, and dual-zone heating/air
conditioning systems. The factor analysis of these nine variables resulted in four dimensions: 1. Equipment for fun: pool and hot tub combination
2. Smaller efficiency measures 3. Convenience measures 4. Measures for comfort.
Equipment for Fun: Pool and Hot Tub Combination
The first dimension reflects a tendency to own both a pool and hot tub. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor One: Equipment for Fun: Pool and Hot Tub Combination Eigenvalue=1.448 and % of variance explained=16.092
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Pool .797
Hot tub .753
Smaller Efficiency Measures
The second dimension includes smaller efficiency measures such as dimmer switches and ceiling fans. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Two: Smaller Efficiency Measures Eigenvalue=1.399 and % of variance explained=15.549
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Dimmer switches for lights .778
Ceiling fans .738
Convenience Measures
The third dimension seems to reflect a convenience factor. The hot water flow regulator keeps hot water on tap in the bathrooms distant from the hot water tank, which prevents several
minutes of running the tap waiting for hot water to arrive from the other end of the house. Having a second refrigerator allows for extra storage of food and beverages for parties and large families. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor Three: Convenience Measures
Eigenvalue=1.316 and % of variance explained=14.617
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Hot water flow regulator .749
Two refrigerators .679
Dual-zone Heating and Air-Conditioning
The fourth dimension seems to reflect a subset of respondents who owned features at opposite ends of a spectrum (note the negative value on CFLs). These respondents own dual-zone heating and air-conditioning systems particularly in two-story homes.
Factor Four: Dual-zone Heating and Air-Conditioning Eigenvalue=1.164 and % of variance explained=12.939
Key Definers Factor Loadings
Dual-zone heating/air-conditioning system .702
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) –.690*
*Note negative value.
Together, these four dimensions (factors) account for 59.197% of the variance in response to the nine questions on equipment ownership. Only one expresses a preference for conservation and
that on only a limited scale. Comfort and convenience are more strongly supported among these factors that differentiate among homeowners.
Factor Analysis of Self-Reported Resource Conservation Behaviors
Respondents were presented with 12 statements on energy conservation behaviors (Table 54 in Chapter 15). Ten of these were included in a factor analysis that optimized the best, most interpretable solution.5 The questions were designed to elicit information on resource
conservation and environmental behaviors. This factor analysis resulted in three dimensions: 1. Adjusting thermostats
2. Resource conscious (energy and water) 3. Conserve water and electricity.
Adjusting Thermostats
The first dimension reflects energy-conserving behavior by adjusting thermostats in winter, summer, and when away. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
Factor One: Adjusting Thermostats
Eigenvalue=2.196 and % of variance explained=21.963
Key Definers Factor Loadings
In winter, set thermostat at 70°F or lower .902
In summer, set thermostat at 75°F or higher .844
When away, modify thermostat settings .756
Resource Consciousness
The second dimension seems to reflect energy and water resource consciousness. Interestingly, the practice of xeriscaping does not factor with conserving water, which is in the next dimension, but instead factors with using less air-conditioning, driving a fuel-efficient car, and being more energy conscious. The items that define this dimension and their factor loadings are shown below.
5The statements on being thrifty and regularly recycling were omitted from this analysis to optimize the